KNOCK OUT MONKEY - Wonderful Life; Greed

Formed in Kobe in 2001, KNOCK OUT MONKEY have only been releasing their interesting blend of metal, hip-hop and reggae on the major scene since 2012. Their latest singles, released within a month of each other, should go some way to putting them on the map though: 2nd single Wonderful Life is the image song for the Shonan Open 2014 surf competition, and their 3rd Greed is the 38th opening theme to anime series "Detective Conan". They were released on 23rd July and 20th August respectively.

Wonderful Life was released at the height of summer - for those in the Northern hemisphere - and the guys have gone for a colourful party track accordingly. NAOMICHI provides the solid soca beat throughout: accompanied by Ata's melodic bassline, this irresistible rhythm calls for an outbreak of mass jumping. Scan through this track and you might think it's an amalgamation of altogether different songs: it's bouncy Caribbean beats one minute, headbanging heavy metal the next. Guitarist dEnkA's solo, which meshes surprisingly well with the soca drums, firmly puts the rock stamp on it towards the end. Despite the clash of genres, KNOCK OUT MONKEY fuse them together well to create a bright and addictive summer track, brimming with all the vibrancy of Rio Carnaval. B-side No Ending opts for more traditional heavy rock, full of thrashing guitar licks and pounding drums. There's a glimpse of fusion in the bridge, where the prominent guitar strums on the up beat, giving it a ska flavour.

Newest release Greed is another fun and free track, but completely different in sound from the last single. It's a case of "surf's up" at the start, with a sweet chromatic guitar slide, handclaps and uninhibited whoops evoking the carefree '60s era. It switches from surfer rock to high energy skate-rock pretty quickly. Vocalist w-shun throws himself headlong into a growling and feisty performance throughout this gung-ho rock tune. He gives us lively vocal theatrics that never let up, and belts out the catchy, if rather simplistic, chorus with contagious gusto. dEnkA goes totally hell for leather in his short but snappy solo, and continues with some skilful freestyling in the energetic final minute. It's not quite as refreshing as Wonderful Life, but definitely leaves it mark. It's b-side is the relaxed pop-reggae track Only, which partners Caribbean rhythms with muscular rock guitar riffs. Its calypso overtones are a calming tonic to the fired up A-side.

KNOCK OUT MONKEY have thrown their hat into the ring with these two very distinct single releases. Each of the four songs gives a different snapshot of what they can deliver, and it's clear that we'll definitely be seeing much more of this quirky rock foursome in the future.

You can watch the music videos for both Wonderful Life and Greed below.