ION INDIE MAGAZINE August 2017, Volume 39 | Page 42

“KIFF DECLARES WAR ON MUSIC” • CD Review by Jere Perry
Music by KIFF “X-Ray Spex”
KIFF (KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS), a Raleigh, NC based quartet
of veteran musicians, Slayer Dug, Edward Warner, Jason Wheeler,
and Andy Miller, play a metal/punk, shock rock blend of music. It
sounds like a strange mix of music to be compiled on a single CD,
and perhaps it is, but that is what I pride myself on, finding
different music for the readers of ION Indie Magazine to listen to
and enjoy. I would like give thanks to my friend, Kris Kirby, for
helping me along on this particular find. Kris does a tremendous
amount to promote the music scene throughout North Carolina
and is the lovely gracing the KIFF album cover.
With a seventeen track offering, this should be considered getting
a bang for your buck. “Saw You in the Slammer,” is a very fast-
paced track that had its guitar moments, while having a punk-
based feel, but the guitar work gives a bit of a metal edge. “Prank
Caller,” melodically a punk song, I enjoyed thoroughly for the
lyrical content. “X-ray Specs,” is very up-tempo punk, but the
guitar solo screamed of metal. “Making the Beast with Two Backs
Tonight,” is not quite as fast-paced throughout the bulk of the song comparatively speaking to the tracks that come before it
on the CD, but it closes with a fury that belies great musicianship. “Nite After Nite,” takes us on a furious journey, leading us
nearly a third of the way through a CD that has been loaded with 3 minutes of fury per track.
“He’s a Fool” has interesting female backing vocals singing “He’s a Fool.” How many of us of the male persuasion have given
our female counterparts reason to sing those lines loudly? “Shake It” could be considered a blend of punk, metal and sleaze
rock. Within its lyrical content, it’s apparent that the guys in Knowledge Is For Fools aren’t afraid to push the envelope in
expressing their version of music art. “Carolina Reaper” is another blisteringly fast track with a really cool bass semi-solo. Melt
your face, man, with the “Carolina Reaper” -- a pepper that may be as hot as this track. “Pabst Blue Ribbon,” a paced track,
brings many of my former friends into the lyrics: Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, George Dickel, etc. “Fornication” is a song that feels
more like standard rock, but it still has roots in punk. The highlight of the track, to me, is the bass work that can stand strongly
on its own. “Blood in the Wind” is my least favorite track on the CD to this point. I believe it is solely based on the backing
vocals. Musically, it’s a decent song, but you cannot hit homeruns with every song or there would never have been a “B side”
to 45’s back in the day.