EP Review: Kikamora - Masquerade

Wow, this review got away from me a little. This year I had the chance to get myself to SOS Festival and see some good freaking music. This is where I found out about, Kikamora. They had a blinding performance that weekend and I was very curious to hear more from them. Luckily, they had a new EP in the pipeline and set for release in November. Like an idiot, I've put off this review, thinking I had more time to put it out, but man, the release date has soon snuck up on me. Although I have been listening to the EP for the last couple of months, for some reason, I just didn't write anything about it. So let's rectify that, shall I? Kikamora, for those of you who haven't made yourselves aware, is a hard rock band from the south of the UK and I would describe them as somewhere in between categories of hard rock and glam rock. They have the flair and style of an old-school glam rock act. Yet, they are far more grounded than your traditional glam rock act. There's much more musicality to them and their songwriting, on the whole, has so much more depth.

Their new EP, Masquerade is a really fun listen. With its well-done riffs, excellent atmosphere and the good mix of tones, Kikamora have certainly shown that they're not just one trick ponies. The EP goes all over the rock genre, there's some great genre-hopping going on across the EP, going from blues to glam rock to classic rock and all encompassed within their signature style. I like this a lot as it's not just the same thing song after song, there are some good mood and tonal changes, which perks your ears up and makes you want more from them. It really is one of those EP's that you have to put on repeat as soon as it goes off. Or at least for me, it is. I very much like it when a band can do that as well. Just create a buzz so strong in your head, after which you just want to hear it again.

From a production standpoint, it's pretty good. I mean, there's nothing wrong in there really, but also there's nothing exceptional about it. Every member is clear on each track and it's mixed very well, with vocalist Wilf Kite, sounding absolutely superb and nailing every note. The most impressive song on the EP is definitely the riffing goodness of "Wrong Place, Right Time". Complete with harmonica and saxophone accompaniment, this song really gets the blood pumping. The strong riff and well put together hook really make this a stand out track for me. I think this would be remiss if I didn't mention the blazing guitar solo's, which just sound wonderful, especially and the atmospheric ballad "Said And Done". 

I have definitely been enjoying Masquerade. Kikamora really has something special here. They're able to craft beautiful melodies and add some great drama to them. It's appealing to the ear and the production is tight and clear as a bell. They're also not afraid to spice up their music with instrumentation non-traditional to the normal rock format. Awesome EP and a really great band. Definitely check this one out before the year is out.