Kamira is a rock band from nearby Orange County, California that has just released their debut album titled Statements of Intent. Formed by brothers Cam (guitar) and Lachlan (drums), they were soon joined by School of Rock classmates Kira (vocals) and Niko (guitar), with bass added remotely by Evan of 3PM Noize Complaint. The name of the band is a fusion of Kira and Cam’s names (lead singer and primary riff writer). They claim hard rock and heavy metal as their musical center (mentioning Metallica, Alice in Chains and The Warning) along with touches of melodic death, grunge and punk.
Statements of Intent took just three weeks to write, record, mix and master, and garnered such positive reviews from their inner circle that they decided to release these songs officially. Following this release will be a series of Southern California live dates in the fall of 2023. All recording, mixing etc. took place at Ocean Studios in Seal Beach, California. Cakewalk was used for mixing, with mastering by Cloudbounce. Available as a download or limited edition CD. The opening track “Moving On” introduces the band’s sound: classic riff-heavy hard rock, a steady rhythm section and killer lead vocals from the Chrissie Hynde school. The song’s narrator is clearly ready to move from a bad life or relationship and the track becomes more celebratory as it rocks forward. Guitars get louder, lead breaks explode and Kira’s voice starts matching the wailing high E strings. “Everything About You” is described by the band as “pop-rocktastic ear candy.” For me it has an ’80s “Hungry Like The Wolf” swagger. It says here that lead vocalist Kira is only 17 but her voice has a grit and authority way beyond her years. She also overdubs herself expertly, especially for the a cappella conclusion. “Traitor” features some killer opening drum fills by Lachlan and solid, stop-start metallic guitar riffs throughout. There’s a classic rockin’ lead guitar solo that touches on a couple styles here and there (even some Eddie neck tapping) without sounding like carbon copies of anybody. The riffs of “Song of Your Lifetime” literally rise up out of a phasing stew and roar into the fastest track yet, though not quite speed metal. Kira may not know the reference but her chorus harmonies compare favorably with John Doe and Exene from X. Love the guitar solo here mostly because of the unexpected key change halfway through. This song would be a total stomper live! “Make Your Choice” is what the band humorously calls “blackened melodic death heaviness” (my first thought was “dinosaur rock”). Big slabs of overdriven power chords provide an unsettled, teeming bed of sound for Kira’s sleepy, half-spoken vocals and the full band’s chants of “Make… your… choice!” “Go Crazy” starts in a similar fashion to the previous track, but then kicks into a driving double-time rocker with plenty of vocal and drum gymnastics. The bass has a very cool, Rickenbacker treble sound. Kira’s voice reaches hitherto untapped high-end majesty. Just in time for Halloween, the chords turn sour and scary for “House of Horror.” But though it sounds like a funhouse filled with zombie clowns, it’s actually a kind of love song! The arrangement is fun and definitely different from what’s come before. The set ends with “Say It To My Face” which the band calls “bratty punk funk.” This is the fastest song yet, again with an X punk energy and based on a riff that’s like “Smoke On The Water” sped up 100 times. Overall this was a very solid album. Recommended.
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