By switching from
Atlantic Records to the smaller
Metal Blade label in 1998 for their
Tapehead release,
King's X was finally able to call their own musical shots without having to worry about coming up with the "big crossover hit." Their second release for their new label (and eighth overall),
Please Come Home...Mr. Bulbous, shows that this veteran band still has plenty of gas left in the tank. If you're a fan of the band's heavier and slightly darker direction of recent times, then
Mr. Bulbous is for you. Although it starts off with one of their weaker album openers,
"Fish Bowl Man" (especially when compared to such stellar past opening cuts as
"We Are Finding Who We Are," "Dogman," and
"Train"),
King's X quickly picks things up where they left off with such outstanding melodic heavies as
"Julia," "She's Gone Away," and the mysteriously titled
"Charlie Sheen." While most prog metal bands of the late '80s/early '90s have struggled with their musical direction by the dawn of the millennium,
King's X remains true to their longtime vision with
Please Come Home...Mr. Bulbous. ~ Greg Prato
