King Crimson

To reward longtime King Crimson fanatics who waited ten long years (1984-1994) for new studio material, the band issued this EP of six tracks that would (for the most part) later appear on the full-length THRAK. The band is caught at its rawest and most passionate, erasing any doubts that may have surfaced concerning whether the regrouped KC could still cut it. They haven't rocked this hard in years, the proof being in the first two songs -- the long and winding instrumental title track and "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream," which contains some classic paranoid Adrian Belew vocals. "Cage" is a not-so-distant ancestor to their old track "Neurotica" (off 1982's Beat), due to its message and approach. And as for the three other songs, "Thrak" is as primal as KC have ever gotten; "When I Say Stop, Continue" is moody background music; and "One Time" is a slow, pretty number. And as on past releases, King Crimson are not scared to use cacophony to create musical tension -- there's lots of it on VROOOM. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide