On their seventh studio album (and first for the
Metal Blade
label),
King's X
get back on the right track with
Tape Head
. Their previous release, 1996's
Ear Candy
, did indeed contain several superb tracks (
"The Train,"
"Looking for Love,"
etc.), but was not consistently as great as such past classics
Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
and
Dogman
. Maybe their reinstated songwriting focus is due to the fact that both bassist/vocalist
Doug Pinnick
and guitarist/vocalist
Ty Tabor
took time off to work on solo projects prior to the album's recording. Other reasons for the album's success could have been that it was written and produced entirely by the band (without the aid of outsiders), and the majority of the album's tracks were a collaboration by all three members. With the exception of one track, the album is one long highlight -- tracks such as
"Cupid,"
"Ocean,"
"Little Bit of Soul,"
"Hate You"
are all examples of
at the height of their powers. The only weak track on the album is its closer,
"Walter Bela Farkas (Live Peace in New York),"
which contains irritating screaming over a live band improvisation. Still, it doesn't prevent
from being one of
's finest, and one of the best
hard rock
releases of 1998. ~ Greg Prato