Kilmore: Jon MacIsaac (Drums), Dan Doran (Guitar), Neil Spence (Bass), Heather Harris (Vocals/Guitar)
There is a tempest on the way. Released this month the single bodes well for the coming EP. I was not familiar with the band before hearing this, but strong riffs and a distinctive vocal style made me well pleased that I know them now!
If you are a fan of “Alice in Chains” I think you’d get into it, strong bass and drums section give a bite to the track, rolling thunder from these troubled times. Is there a storm coming? I would say its arrived.
I liked the vocal harmony sections and the urgency of the rhythm.
Heather Harris talks about the track saying “
“We planned to have six tracks on our next EP, and ‘Tempest’ was one of the most unyielding to nail down, it took us a while to get the groove of it. To me, it sounded transcendent but chaotic, like a tempest rising. We thought it would be a good first introduction to “From the Inside” as it has a groovy progressive feel.”
‘The air is filled tonight
The hills are where you roam
The thunder roars above me
Everywhere it goes
The passing of the rain
The wind is high and low
Thunder bolts are rolling
Falling from below…’ (lyrics from “The Tempest” by Kilmore)
For the uninitiated, Kilmore are based in Halifax, Canada and are comprised of roots deeply influenced from two siblings who immigrated from Newry, Northern Ireland at an early age to Vancouver, BC, and eventually to Halifax. Alongside them come two Canadians growing up in the nineties, finding their musical diet of grunge to pass the time. Fast forward to 2013, sister and brother Heather Harris (vocals, guitars) and Dan Doran(guitars) formed with the addition of Neil Spence (bass) and Lor Sangster (drums) form the original lineup. Sangster was later replaced in 2019 by Jon MacIsaac (drums).
There is a grunge feel in the piece. The band present the song as “groovy psychodelic rock” but this reviewer heard strong late grunge influence and the song is about someone coming into your life like a hurricane. Harris experienced this while welcoming her son into the world, a world that seemed so disrupted at the time. The song speaks of a vigorous figure finding its place in a hectic world while shining brightly through the darkness.
We have the official video for the song below and you can have a listen and see if you agree with me! An acid test when you review a single is whether you want to hear more, and I will be asking to review the EP when it arrives. You can also download the song here. Sometimes readers say how we cover different genres here, I think we tend to say that we cover great music, and we have a liking for talent spotting! This is an outfit to look out for, a storm heading in our direction!
by Lorraine Foley