Photo by J Donovan Malley
Given that I’ve lived in the Seattle area for 28 years I tend to have… tender feelings… for Seattle metal bands. Especially the ones whose music makes me feel like I’m a piece of meat that’s being tenderized and then flame-broiled.
I’ve also had especially tender feelings for Rat King ever since being bowled over by a live show they played at Seattle’s Funhouse venue in 2017. That was my first exposure to the audio tornadoes and earthquaking upheavals generated by the Ecuadorian brothers Danny Racines (bass, vocals) and Ricky Racines (guitar, backup vocals) and their Nicaraguan drummer Carlos Delgado.
Since then they’ve moved from strength to greater strength with each release, the most recent of which is their album Psychotic Reality, which was released by the Satanik Royalty label at the end of September. It’s an album you shouldn’t miss, and in case you did we have a vivid reminder to catch up to it via our premiere today of a video for the song “Destroyer Of Us All“–well-timed to coincide with the band’s in-progress tour of the western U.S.
Psychotic Reality isn’t exactly a concept album but it is one spawned from the darkness brought by pandemic isolation, and in part by the dehumanizing negativity fed by social media at a time when true human interaction had become scarce. In the case of “Destroyer Of Us All“, Rat King have commented:
“Musically, this song represents every aspect of RAT KING’s songwriting. From death to grind to groove. We feel this song captures what we want to create musically. Lyrically, the song talks about the self being dissolved of ego by consuming and learning from psychedelics.”
“Destroyer Of Us All” was the first single released from the album last summer in the runup to the album’s street date, and it’s no wonder why it was chosen. Also no wonder why it was chosen for this video — which will give you a good idea of the heart-pounding electricity generated by Rat King on stage.
The song does indeed represent key aspects of the band’s songwriting. As displayed across the span of their new album, Rat King are capable of ferociously discharging cutting and gutting riffs, ruthless percussive bombardments, scorching screams, and monstrous roars — and all of that is in the spotlight on “Destroyers Of Us All“.
But in addition to discharging violent turbocharged delirium and brutalizing grooves that hit like sledgehammers, the song also channels moods of confusion, agony, and oppression, and thus its intensity operates on multiple levels.
The video for “Destroyer Of Us All” was filmed, edited, and directed by Rat King. Psychotic Reality was recorded at Soundhouse Studios (Bell Witch, The Accüsed, 3 Inches Of Blood), produced by the band, and mixed by Taylor Young at The Pit Recording Studio (Nails, Xibalba, Kruelty).
Via the links below, you can pick up Psychotic Reality on limited LP, cassette, and digital formats. AND, as mentioned earlier, if you’re in or within striking distance of the western US you can catch Rat King on tour this month — we’ve got the remaining dates after the links.
ORDER:
http://www.satanikroyaltyrecords.com
https://satanikroyaltyrecords.bandcamp.com
FOLLOW RAT KING:
https://www.facebook.com/ratkingseattle
https://www.instagram.com/rat_king_seattle
RAT KING – Psychotic Reality Western US Tour (remaining dates):
11/07/2023 Tamarack – Oakland, CA
11/08/2023 The Orifice – San Jose, CA
11/09/2023 Dark Nectar – Atascadero, CA
11/10/2023 Till Two – San Diego, CA
11/11/2023 The Rock – Tucson, AZ
11/13/2023 Long Hair Records – Albuquerque, NM
11/14/2023 Bar Bar – Denver, CO
11/15/2023 Beehive – Salt Lake City, UT
11/16/2023 TBA – Moscow, ID
11/17/2023 Black Water – Portland, OR
11/18/2023 Cryptatropa Bar – Olympia, WA