A Plot against the king - Honor & Lies

A Plot Against The King

Honor & Lies
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Lenny Pinnix and Kris Gerheauser are two seasoned musicians who had their band break up and wanted to get back to their roots by playing original acoustic music. It didn't take much time for them to release their first record Honor & Lies under the moniker The Plot Against The King, which blends technically proficient guitar playing with subtle electronic elements that combine to make a rather relaxing and sometimes hypnotic album. Honor & Lies has a new age vibe to it at times which I didn't mind and at other times the music sounds like something you might hear on a Notwist, Hood or Air album. I preferred the material that contained intricate percussive elements and synths as it more often than not created a complex concoction of textures that burst with variation.

The recording wasn't bad except the guitar sounded a little bit too metallic during certain times with not enough warmth. You may not notice on a consumer sound system but when just the guitars were playing it was noticeable 
on my headphones. 

The album starts off with a strong track called “Rookie.” I was immediately attracted to the warbly, vortex synths that reminded me of an Amon Tobin record. The drums are front and center on this track while the guitars create a spacious atmosphere. “Intelligent Design” sheds everything besides their guitars and is the track that makes you realize how technically sound these guys are. They go off with flamenco style picking that creates a cascade of soothing tones. “Your Face” is one of the highlights on the album that utilizes complex drum programming to add more ear candy to the great guitar picking. 

“Honor & Lies” is an instrumental album that had enough variation between the stripped down acoustic guitars tracks and electronic fused material to keep me interested enough to not miss vocals. The album is a solid introduction to the band.

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