King's X
The mainstream has remained elusive for rockers King's X, which is a pity as much as a statement. It often pains me to be made aware of the ignorance of music fans who stick with the trends and never venture out to find true talent, their numbers are many. I hope I can open up at least a few minds to this secret jewel of the music world.
King's X is an American hard rock band that combines progressive metal, funk and soul with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel, blues, and British Invasion rock groups. Think 'Metal-Beatles'. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion and self-acceptance. King's X was ranked #83 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Since being signed to Megaforce Records in 1987, King's X has released twelve studio albums, one official live album, and several independent releases. The band is currently recording for the InsideOut Music label, and continues to tour with each new release. Early in their major label career, they had many opening slots on arena tours, but lately, the band for the most part headline their own shows playing mostly clubs and smaller venues. Each member of the group has recorded solo albums and has made numerous guest appearances on other artists' albums and compilation projects. Doug Pinnick and Ty Tabor also have albums released with side bands that they participate in.
Despite the band members having varying degrees of Christian beliefs through the years, and the group having had early dealings in the Contemporary Christian market, the members of King's X have never considered themselves a "Christian" band. However, some of their early lyrical themes (especially the first three albums) have led to some people labeling the group as such; which all three members strongly oppose.
In an interview on the UK late-night television show Raw Power, around the time of the release of Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, the band's explanation of its name was that the X relates to the mark on the wax seal used by royalty to seal correspondence. If the seal on a letter sent by the King, the King's X, was broken, it meant death for the messenger.
In an interview published in a guitarist magazine in the mid-1990s, Tabor revealed the true origin of the name, claiming that "King's X" is a safety zone in the game of Tag. A player could "Call King's X" to avoid being tagged. Sam Taylor's brother was in a band called Kings X some years earlier and he suggested it to the band. After much thought and with no better names forthcoming, members of the band said, "Are we gonna be called King's X or what?" The band agreed on it, and the name King's X stuck.
