[Album Review] Speed Metallers KAINE show their endurance during an ever changing scene with latest album 'EXTINCTIONS END'

KAINE (Not in order): Rage, Liam, Toby, Isaac)

Let’s be brutally honest here folks. The underground music scene…nay the music industry in general…is a very tough nut to crack. There are constant challenges that everyone involved have to face in order to survive the ever changing dynamics and requirements to stay fresh and in the eye of their fans. This next review focuses on a (in my opinion) often overlooked and hardworking band – British speed metallers Kaine’.

A band that beat Madonna in the Official UK Charts (its true! Read the full story here – we’re convinced Madonna is fuming about this but is yet to comment…), Kaine are a band that work tirelessly in the scene whether it be via their YouTube Channel filled with behind-the-scenes content or releasing their work independently. The latest offer to hit the streaming waves is ‘Extinctions End’, an 8-track album that focuses on a darker, heavier relaunch of some of the band’s earlier work.

Now whilst I’m not entirely familiar with all of Kaine’s previous lore and/or works, what immediately appealed to me was the style of music they create. Of course, I’m an avid lover of good ol’ Metalcore – but equally so, I do have my love for the more traditional styles of metal such as NWOBHM and Speed Metal. Like a few familiar faces within the scene, Kaine bring their take on these genres to a modern audience with their own flair and take, something that is predominant in this release.

Fast. Punchy. Thunderous. ‘Extinction Ends’ is an album that hits you in the face and will leave you wanting more. It also shows how ballsy the band can be with their music, as I don’t know many bands that open an album with an 8-minute track these days but again this is something that helps make Kaine stand out in their own way. Even within those first 8 minutes of ‘All Hail’, there’s enough splash and flash from each member (Rage, Liam, Toby and Isaac) to show how they’re not only masters of their own roles within the band, but also how tight and precise they are as a unit.

‘Dragonlord’ continues this pace with impressive speed and technique, resonating a very Iron Maiden style energy to the track. The tempo does slow -ever so slightly- in third track ‘Second Coming’, but this allows the band to focus more on groove and intricate lines before they re-embrace their speed and power, an aspect that follows over into following track ‘A Slave To The Grind’.

Moving into ‘New Age Martyr’, this track demonstrates the band’s ability to build suspense as we get a more melodic but hypnotising introduction to the track. Moving back to into intensity and speed, this track stands out for me not just because of the intro but the dualling guitar outro as well. Sending me back to the days when I gave Iron Maiden and Judas Priest a proper listen, it was hypnotic in the way the guitars fed each other throughout, whilst the bass and the drums laid down their own groove and spice to support them.

Whilst we return back to the traditional Speed Metal styles for ‘Protesting For Profit’ and ‘The Storm is Coming’, the energy and oomph in the tracks show the band aren’t ready to call it quits. Rather, they’re eager to push faster and harder as to feed the fans with the same energy. It showed tenacity and a unwavering belief in what the band do and continue to do, all before reaching the end game that was closing track ‘Extinctions End’.

A perfect end to album, this track stood out for its blend of speed and groove. The band were able to shift between tempo and intricacy without losing the energy we were met with from the start. Building up to the final stage with a bass led build, the track ends with the band coming together one final time to highlight the earlier mentioned mastery and precision in their unity.

For me, ‘Extinction Ends’ is not only another tasteful offering to the existing fans, but also a good way of introducing new fans to a band that are simply working hard to do what they live and keep the spark alive in their own way. It offers older fans a fresh new look at tracks they may already be familiar with but also offers newer fans a chance to listen to a modern take on the Speed Metal genre whilst also inviting them to look back and deeper into Kaine’s lore and work.

One thing I will say to Kaine – keep it going. Keep pushing and keep writing. The level of skill shown here is a testament to not only your enduring energy within an ever changing dynamic, but also a testament to your evolution and continuing growth as a band.

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