Kristian Montgomery & The Winterkill Band are up to their old tricks again. Montgomery and his band of merry men just dropped another hard charging, rockin’ roots album. More aggressive, edgier, flintier than even their previous disc The Gravel Church, Prince Of Poverty pounds its way through each track with either a driving drum beat or a persistent force of personality in the melodic flow.
Producer Joe Clapp, guitarist Charlie Hill as well as Montgomery play guitars; Dave Leitch supplies the low end while local legend Jeff Armstrong pounds the skin. It takes this kind of high level support to convey the images of rage Montgomery had to be seeing in his head before he went into the studio to document this statement of social and political angst. Aside from Montgomery’s undeniable rage, he has also, with help from his fellows, developed a beauty of a rocking sound.
“They’ll Remember My Name” plays as ominous as its title suggests. The band cranks out an angry guitar buzz over a steady, mid-tempo groove, suggesting a large presence creeping up on a weaker one. There is a second guitar howling through this and Montgomery’s husky, soulful vocal sounds haunter here, a tortured soul contemplating his avenues for retribution.
Taking things slower on “Tired Of Being Tired,” Montgomery and his Winterkill Band cruise through on a bulbous groove with some spine tingling lead guitar twitches and keyboard tinkling. Montgomery’s beautifully strong vocal takes the lead amidst all of the nice touches added in along the way and he keeps the focus on his philosophical view of life.
Chugging to an uptempo shuffle beat, “Working Hands” finds Montgomery telling the story of his life, taking odd jobs, stumbling out of bars, sleeping in his car. With his “Working Hands,” Montgomery could’ve gotten into all kinds of mischief, as he follows his twitchy paws as the solution to every possible object that may have gotten in his way. Chicken picking lead guitar twangs make their own chaotic statement while supported by a restless rhythm section. Nice touch.
Moving into a chill vibe, Montgomery expresses himself beautifully on “A Warm Grave.” He utilizes his Jack Daniels smooth vocal to spread his emotive content all over this number. His acoustic guitar strumming makes it feel as organic as his soulful vocal cruise. This singer-songwriter-roots rocker surely has a knack for keeping things edgy even when he’s grooving mellow.
Electric guitar chord slapping action moves “Don‘t Call Me Baby” toward its inevitable conclusion,. Montgomery driving the tense eloquence of this song. Montgomery spreads his smooth timbre over hip, swaying electric guitar chords and a bossy groove. His vocal seems to have a newer sound here, something he stretches into a personal, casual warning. You can hear it in just his voice. Watch it.
Montgomery takes things down tempo on “Soul For A Soul.” His handsome vocal fills up the space above a fine mesh of electric and acoustic guitars, carrying his listener through a building wilderness of sound. Becoming huskier at the microphone as the rhythm section asserts itself, this song into turns into a smoldering force of nature. It’s uncanny how well Montgomery can express a swirling dervish of emotions all in one number.
“That Kind Of Love” is a wide arcing song, a narrative that rises up strong and soulful and carries through with its emotive grist. The tune, with its cool breeze vibe, is a good piece to groove with a mellow soul and an even balance amidst the hard charging numbers on this album.
“I’ll Find My Way Home” is a sweet journey song, a journey through life while also having an adventurous journey feeling. Montgomery sends his vocals on a smooth roll over a mesh of electric riffs, smacking drum fills, and a rambunctious bass guitar. The contrast between smooth voice and rambunctious playing highlights both
Montgomery lays out in no uncertain terms his political passions on “American Fire.” Here, his anger is the most focused on this album. That’s because he’s tying all of his songs’ threads together at the top, the government lead by liars and thieves. More importantly, a sweet lead guitar line backed by a banjo keep this rooted in an Americana sound which flavors this song with an appropriate bitter sarcasm. There is also a speedy shuffle groove that makes Montgomery’s rage feel like it’s on a collision course with those he targets. It is reminiscent of Bruce Cockburn’s “Rocket Launcher.”
Close out track “Just Driving Around” has got a speedy shuffle groove, a perky, country fried lead guitar, and other homey musical trappings. With a bit of a honky tonk chirp, Montgomery sings of the tragedy of living nowhere lives, reaching the listener’s soft spot with his compassionate perceptions. He and his support players also manage to perfectly capture the motion of “just driving around” his old home town where he sees everything moving at the same speed as when he left.
Montgomery and his crew have developed, on this Prince Of Poverty album, a cracking working of hard rocking action with meaningful lyrics derived from hard won life experiences. Producer Joe Clapp, at his Ultrasound Productions studio, makes every vocal and instrument sound filled to the brim, contributing to Montgomery’s overwhelming emotional bulwark to society’s innumerous injustices.
