KXM - Scatterbrain

The sudden formation of KXM in 2014 and their debut album released quickly afterwards was one of my favorite records of recent years. Who would have thought that a group comprised of members of Korn, King's X, and Dokken would've sounded so good? While the disc had it's share of clunkers and sounded a bit too much like a dUg Pinnick solo album at times, it had plenty of strong moments and the fresh blood and enthusiasm exuding from guitarist George Lynch and drummer Ray Luzier seemed to have galvanized Pinnick and finally have provided with him with some bandmates that he could bounce material off effectively since his longtime comrades from King's X. Personally I assumed 2014's KXM was strictly a one-time affair due to the busy schedules of everyone involved, but the announcement of a second album was heavily anticipated by me personally, and so far this new release Scatterbrain has been receiving high marks from whatever rock press is left these days. So is it worth the buzz or has KXM gone the way of The Winery Dogs and lost the plot?

Judging solely by the singles released ahead of the album, Scatterbrain at least isn't a total loss. The opening one-two punch of the title track and follow-up "Breakout" begin things well, particularly the latter track with its multi-part vocal harmonies, climactic finale and that 100% grade-A-filthy main riff from George Lynch. "Big Sky Country" sees the trio stretch out over a bluesy groove as wide as a flood plain before moving into the first of the disc's more challenging tracks, "Calypso". Harsh, almost dissonant guitar leads alongside a doubled bassline provide a dark undergrowth as tribal drum rhythms propel us deeper into the jungle, while gang vocals anchor the chorus and provide an interesting counterpoint to Pinnick's impassioned wailing. It's a far cry from KXM's previous material and is the first of several tracks to experiment with more alternative genres (and one of the more successful ones at that) as the group moves right along into the reggae-funk of "Not A Single Word", which is again elevated by the stellar playing of George Lynch who is rapidly climbing the ranks of "most underrated guitar player". His combination of swaggering crunch and playful eagerness for experimentation, particularly on high-water-marks like "Obsession", album standout "Noises In The Sky", and "Never Enough", as I found myself constantly impressed not only by his raw riffwork but his tone and choice of effects.

This is the part where I talk about the other band members and how they contribute greatly to Scatterbrain's successes as well, but while I will (and they do) I think George Lynch really stole the show with this one. Ray Luzier is obviously an immensely talented drummer and shows off more of his extensive range here but I can't help but get a Mike Mangini vibe from his playing - he's almost too good for my liking and at times its a bit odd to have the relatively straight-forward hard rock of Lynch and Pinnick being supported by this highly technical web of polyrhythms. With that said the production of Luzier's drums in particular and the record as a whole is altogether fuller and noticeably more rich here than the stiff, at times grating mix found on KXM, despite that album having a slightly higher DR score than Scatterbrain - strange. The material on Scatterbrain also feels more developed than what was found on KXM, with a few songs that I suspect would've ended up as solid clunkers had they been included on that album ("Stand", "Together") managing to shift gears midway through and at least partially redeem themselves with a well-done bridge or solo section. While the record slows down towards the end with more misses than hits, the laid back lullaby of "Angel" ends things on a high note. And its those peaks and valleys that make Scatterbrain all the more memorable and successful as a follow-up to KXM. Pinnick, Luzier and Lynch cover a surprisingly wide area swath of genres with this one and it seems plainly evident how much sheer fun they had recording it, navigating deftly throughout each piece's own little twists and turns. An expansion on their debut's foundation, Scatterbrain reassuringly signals that there is still plenty of gas left in the tank here and against all conventional wisdom and historical trends, KXM manages to be one of the few supergroups worth keeping a close eye on.