KILL VAN KULL
Edge of Sunrise
Self-Released 2006
www.killvankull.com

Genre
Hard rock / blues rock / modern

The Good
Gritty vocals and wailing guitars set the pace on “Hot Daze.” A long and mellow electric/acoustic introduction gives way to soulful vocals on “Then You Were Gone.” When vocalist Rick Cabrera reaches his vocal peak, the rest of Kill Van Kull brings the distortion. “Through the Night” is a pure vocal track with heavy guitar sprinkled about. “Kick Em and Smile” has a southern rock feel to it and is accented by in-your-face vocals and killer guitar solos. “On the Run” is dominated by a heavy riff and has the faint feel of Alice in Chains to it. “Rock it Steady” adds more to the overall blues tone with the addition of a brass section.

The Bad
They were decent, but I could have done without the three instrumental jam tracks; “Edge of Sunrise,” “The Bottom,” and “Hell From Above.” In their defense, they were each quite unique, but I think a wasted song opportunity.

The Verdict
Edge of Sunrise mixes raw, gritty vocals with powerful blues-rock influenced guitar to create a powerful debut album. It does have its slow moments, but the energy level more than makes up for them.

Did You Know?
According to Wikipedia: The Kill Van Kull is a tidal strait approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1,000 feet (305 m) wide separating Staten Island and Bayonne, New Jersey, USA. The name kill comes from an old Dutch word for "water channel."

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne