Battlestar Cadillactica - Corpulence (demo)

1. True (2:35) 2. So What (3:14) 3. Strange (4:16) 4. Don't Bother (3:34) 5. Fallen (3:22)

Total Running Time: 17:02

When King's X was a relatively young band, critics and journalists used to describe it as "metal riffs adorned with Beatles-like vocal harmonies," and despite the well-deserved critical acclaim that the band has received throughout its existence, commercial success has never quite stepped through the door yet. Then came Galactic Cowboys, which's Space In Your Face earned the band favorable reviews and a description of "King's X on steroids." Success, however, never came either. So imagine my surprise when I listened to Battlestar Cadillactica's Corpulence and discovered that I had found the third member of this harmonious trinity.

The surprise was due to one fact: bands usually don't adopt a style that is unlikely to reach a decent audience and is not completely new either. Then again, with a name like Battlestar Cadillactica, one could pretty much deduce that this trio doesn't really care. What comes across as a real shame, however, is that this band has as much style and flair as King's X and is just as unlikely to ever see the bright shining lights of fame, despite the fact that the grinding initial riff of "True" grooves with sheer heaviness, Jeff Salzman's guitar solos are right up there with Ty Tabor's, and the band's vocal harmonies are an attractive midpoint between the ones that King's X and Galactic Cowboys employ.

If life was fair, which it normally isn't, masses of people would be introduced to Battlestar Cadillactica and its heavy, yet accessible, sound. Hell, if life was fair, the members of King's X would be millionaires right now. Life sucks sometimes, doesn't it? Hopefully, however, this band will be able to grow with the years into a respectable entity with a dedicated following, much like its peers did. Maybe then the catchiness of riffs adorned with pleasing vocal harmonies, such as the one evidenced on "Fallen," will earn the band the respect it deserves and give this third cousin the recognition that material such as the one displayed on Corpulence should have earned it by now.

-by Marcelo Silveyra

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