CoC : Ani Kyd - Evil Needs Candy Too : Review

Ani Kyd - _Evil Needs Candy Too_
(Alternative Tentacles, 2005)
by: T. DePalma (3 out of 10)

Ex-Rumblefish singer Ani Kyd turns in her debut solo record with a little help from friends Byron Stroud, Ian White and Gene Hoglan, patiently venting almost interesting, pulpy-punk hardcore sonnets. Hoglan's worth as a drummer is vitiated to the extent that he's on deck as a known performer, not necessarily because his work in either Dark Angel, SYL or Death is of any relevance to Kyd's own non-percussive style of writing. She's a bit folksy in a gothic balladeer sort of way, and barring a few exceptions resonates best when unaided by her band-mates. The strained grunts and generic speed of tracks like "My First Kill", with its thinned out Strife-like melody being the lowest point out of these sixteen songs, which is not just terribly mundane but packs away Ani Kyd's intriguing Danzig meets Theo Kogan vocal style -- crooning better complimented by the memorable jig of "Creepy Feeling" and the intimate trio of "Stranger Things" (worked into acoustic format) "So Far" and "Silvery Cage". As these tracks unfold allowing the guitar a gritty rock 'n' roll tone, a less constrained sound of relaxed chords bent toward distorted rings melting in with her voice, she wafts empathy from song, able to give power to otherwise cornball lines like "I sold my soul for a piece of your heart" cried over the strings. Beyond this, _Evil Needs Candy Too_ runs too long in bidding for some time on Uranium or the next Ozzfest; short on substance beyond the odious grudge of the lyrics and musically flat as it transforms them into canned aggression.

Contact: http://www.anikyd.com

(article published 25/8/2005)