Sullivan King offers a strong debut record on “Show Some Teeth”

Five years after Sullivan King’s start, he has finally released his debut album, and it does not disappoint. For bass music fans, this album completely throws down. From drops to build ups, the layers and the vocals, it reaches every corner of what makes a song and more. This album has been long awaited and the time has finally come to see what Sullivan has creatively and carefully put together for every fan out there.

The piano at the beginning of Promise Me is honestly such a beautiful start to the album, it leads into what we are expecting or what we hope to expect.(what are we expecting?)  The static also creates an eerie vibe and the slowness of the entire short piece suites Sullivan King’s voice so well. The lyrics, like “burn these paintings off the walls”,are simple and meaningful, holding so much within each lyric as the song begins and the quickly ends. It is a well put together way to begin and is the perfect introduction into the album as it is the listeners first insight into what Sullivan King has in store.

The beginning of If My Eyes Are Vampires (Your Body Is My SunLight) with TYNAN creates the entire song for me. It’s jagged yet to the point, which instantly brings up the hype within the song. Instantly being pulled into the beat, the cut off for the chorus almost left me breathless. Every portion of the song works well together, every chord and melody. It’s all a very well put together puzzle piece with every out there musical element and the screamy lyrics tying together in a rather interesting way. If My Eyes Are Vampires (Your Body Is My Sunlight) is the perfect song for the second place on the album as it meets expectations and raises excitement for the rest of the album.

The guitar and the burning up sort of noise at the beginning of Reckless are an instant hype builder. With that being said, this song gets straight to the point, with a heavy hitting beat and synths that are off the wall. With this, the small amount of lyrics are just enough, adding to the overall completion of the song to make it honestly so well put together. I also have to say that I am an extremely huge fan of the guitar in this song, much like I am with any guitar is any of King’s songs.

The shredding of it in the background at the beginning of the song versus the importance of it throughout the entire piece, the iconic guitar is what really makes this song come across as Sullivan King. The acoustic guitar with a simple bit of drums as well as Sullivans voice in Breathless was not something I expected. It is something so different from the first three songs, but is a beautiful change. The song goes from a acoustic-accented verse into this beautiful chorus, a huge contrast from Reckless but works perfectly once again with Sullivan Kings voice. Again, the electric guitar solo at around 1:40 in the song and then throughout the rest of the song, compliments the piece so well. The takeaway from the heavy hitting drops is a nice break and really shows off Kings musical abilities. This song is so beautifully put together, if something were to be changed, the entire song would be off.

The lyrics “spent a couple hours in the sky, wonder what the moon would look like with a black eye” are everything. They pull me into Why Don’t You Love Me? as it begins off with yet another beautiful entrance of an electric guitar and eerie vibes. I began to fall into the lyrics and sway with the melody as the song continued on, and then the chorus hit with the beat and the layered tones and the melody. But of course, the build up came shortly after and the drop is a serious headbanger. The slowness of the song along with the more upbeat parts really allow the melody to course along,adding two different musical styles into one. King really did a beautiful job with this one.

Show Some Teeth with Kompany was released a few weeks prior to the albums release. From the first note in the song, all that can be felt are shivers. From the build up to the very first drop, it can easily be interpreted that both DJs work extremely well together.  Starting off slow, the build up easily allows anyone listening to amp up energy, ready for the extremely heavy drop. The song, as a whole, is heavy hitting and completely out there. Like always, King’s voice fits perfectly with the tone of the song, pouring energy into the track to create a solid headbanger. Everything in Show Some Teeth work perfectly in contrast with each other. Kompany and Sullivan King really outdid themselves with this incredible song that the album is named after.

Cayte Lee’s voice absolutely drives Ricochet ‘s energy from the first note sung. The almost acapella verse at the beginning develops the song in ways that show how beautifully written it is lyrically and later on, musically. While listening I found myself with my eyes closed, taking in how the beat came down with the rest of the music and how some aspects of the song seem so simple but are so incredibly complicated. Barely any part of the song stays the same, and that is very effectively shown once King begins to sing. With the two incredible artists melded together perfectly with the melody, it’s no wonder that the many different aspects of this song works well together. Every different musical element ties together in a way where everything is crazy, but it works.

Royalty with Rico Act. Oh boy, was I ready from the first ‘whoo!” in the song. The lyrics are straight to the point, with the guitar and kick drum beat building up, expressing with spitting words what you should think. The lyrics are obviously written to perfectly suit the song, “I’ve been on the throne for a minute, my crown is dazzling”; Rico Act’s voice is perfect for these lyrics. And the beat during the chorus and just throughout, it is what ties the song together, being the rock that every melody rests on.

With the very clear headbanger moments and the synth choice during the chorus, this song is fun in every way. At the end, the ‘voicemail’ commentary is honestly hilarious and a perfect way to end off the song. That little touch adds so much more to the masterpiece.

This house remix of Dropkick is absolutely EVERYTHING. This song in general is so much fun and Sullivan does an amazing job at adding to that energy with this remix. It makes it funky, which was unexpected. I am going to mention it again, the guitar is amazing. Always amazing, always suiting. The ‘bop’ aspect of this remix contrasts the original so well, but it’s a good contrast as it fits into the album and Sullivan’s style.

With Solace’s beginning being only Kings voice, and simple beautiful guitar in the background, reflects yet again, Kings incredible songwriting style. It’s slow and in all, a feels song. It reflects standing in a crowd at your favourite artists concert with your best friends, holding each other as the song plays loud. Everything about this song musically and lyrically, is a gorgeous addition to the album. To add, the guitar at the beginning, with its jazzy vibe is really what carries the song as the guitar-acoustic and electric- changing as the melody changes throughout the piece.

The massive clanking at the beginning of the song leads into the fact that it IS heavy. The verse of lyrics is also simple, but the filler in between the chorus and the build up as it gives away what the song is going to be like, but at the same time leaves interpretation for what this song is expressing to the listener. Hitman with SWARM is right up in your face as soon as the chorus hits, with the breaks in the music bringing a different approach. It’s very choppy and kind of everywhere, but it works.

Simple background music along with an eerie build up suits the beginning of Bad Times as the lyrics enter into the song. “Everything that you want to change is everything that I want to stay the same” are lyrics that I feel are understandable in a lot of different ways. It’s like that one person that you want to try to connect with but just can’t seem to. As the lyrics are building up with the music,  Sullivan’s voice melts perfectly into the melody. Right as the chorus drops, that record screeching fort of sound gives off a “oooooooh!” feeling, right before the chorus hits down. Turning my headphones up, I was able to really feel this song and the many layers of different synths and musical instruments that makes up this incredibly put together. The second verse, the same as the first, is backed by simple cymbals that accent Sullivan’s voice and work perfectly as the music comes back in. It is extremely impressive just how well this song is written, from the quiet beginning to the grimy (in a good way) beats and drops of the chorus.

The drums at the beginning of Put Em Up are loud and vibrant, something that I stuck to instantly. The way that the music suddenly stops and then the guitar brings it all back. Every single thing melds into each other, right until the chorus where the heaviness of the song is dropped down. The lack of vocals truly work in a way that it is so easy to focus on every single musical element in its entirety. Put Em Up largely reminds me of Sullivan’s live shows and just how crazy, energetic, and exciting they are.

The multiple layers within this song from drums, guitar, synth upon synth upon synth all work to create this crazy heavy headbanger. It is a complete contrast from Solace, which again is something that shows off Sullivan Kings incredible song-writing range and talent.

Where Angels Die starts off with Sullivan’s signature guitar and screams to yet again show how the listening is supposed to feel. The entire beginning of the song, right up until the chorus is all hype, exploding energy from the song onto the listening. This song would be incredible live and with a build up that focuses on Sullivans screams it’s no wonder that the chorus comes as a shock. Jagged static-like noises rain out but they work well, focussing on how different the rest of the song is from the chorus. This song is a mosh pit waiting to happen, with every musical aspect flowing in to make the appropriate tempo for a high-energy shoving game. Sitting second last on the album, this song works perfectly to show how beautifully everywhere this album is and how well it all works together.

Before I Go is the end, and it takes the album out with a bang. Simple guitar chords and just vocals are always something that Sullivan King does well. It’s the build up and then the hit of the beat that has me pulled in, the last song on the album enveloping all that this album has displayed. The melodic ranges shows how Sullivan can easily twist from a calmer focus into something much more energetic. The chorus of Before I Go creates an atmosphere that says ‘you can headbang, feel the music, dance, be yourself. Listen to this in your own way’.

Show Some Teeth has an incredible range of incredibly written songs, with every single one displaying Sullivan Kings talent. This album, in its whole, shows just how talented Sullivan really is. His knowledge of the music he makes and the genre he creates within shows that he knows exactly what he’s doing and how he is going to reach the audience that listens to his music. There are also a few ‘out of the box’ moments that really work to create a well running theme of self expression throughout the whole album.

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