Known for effortlessly blending noise rock reminiscent of old-school Amphetamine
Reptile bands with the raw and aggressive nature of modern hardcore, KEN Mode has
become one of the most devastating bands in the underground. Formed in September of
1999, this crushing Canadian trio has released 3 full-length records. KEN Mode are no
strangers to the road; with full tours, many times over, spanning Canada, the United
States, and Europe with the likes of Pelican, Daughters, the End, Engineer, Buried Inside,
Gaza and Taint; and various regional dates with Mastodon, Burnt By The Sun, Baroness,
Cursed, 3 Inches of Blood, PsyOpus, Propagandhi, Despised Icon, Razor, and Ion
Dissonance, to name a few; 2011 is poised to be the year of KEN Mode's divide and
conquer strategy in aggressive music.
KEN Mode will release ‘Venerable,’ their latest slab of brutality via Profound Lore
Records on March 15, 2011. The album was produced by the legendary Kurt Ballou
(Converge, Trap Them, Torche) at GodCity Studios and mastered by Alan Douches at
West West Side. Next up will be a heavy schedule of touring – the band has made plans
to tear through North America with Canadian brethren Fuck the Facts for a spring tour as
well as stops at SXSW and more that will be announced soon. Vocalist and guitarist Jesse
Matthewson comments: “Most bands get their road work done when they're children then
grow up and get real jobs. Well, KEN Mode's doing the opposite. We had limited touring
from 2002-2008 between summer sessions and spring breaks while getting university
degrees; then specialty degrees in business, accounting and design. Apparently we like to
punish ourselves.”
KEN Mode also follows suit in the lineage of forward thinking heavy music to come out
of the Great White North – what you might hear if Voivod and Cursed had a baby that
started a noise-rock band. Songs like “Batholith” and “Book of Muscle” cling to the
traditions of hardcore music that resonate with fans of Converge or Trap Them while “A
Wicked Pike” takes on spastic noise rock elements, and “Flight of the Echo Hawk”
pushes forth as a mind-bending instrumental masterpiece, clearly influenced by the postrock movement of the 2000s. Also “Venerable” features artwork and design courtesy of Josh Graham, known for his artwork with such bands as Neurosis, A Storm Of Light,
Shrinebuilder, and most recently Soundgarden.
Brothers Jesse and Shane Matthewson have held down the fort that is KEN Mode for the
past 11 years and are now joined by Thérèse Lanz (Mares of Thrace) on bass. The story
of KEN Mode takes an interesting turn when you look into the background of its
members – both of the Matthewson brothers are accountants, Shane a Chartered
Accountant, and Lanz is a web developer. Additionally, Jesse has taken on the extremely
intense and respected training regimen of Muay Thai fighting. “A lot of bands are
obsessed with a life of excess, we prefer to eat Thai food and discuss the latest scientific
breakthroughs,” Matthewson adds. Driven more than ever by the music they have
created, this power trio has decided to take a leap of faith and quit their day jobs to fully
pursue their careers in music.
KEN Mode is more focused than ever and will be difficult to ignore in 2011. With
undoubtedly their best album to date and a yearning for the road, the band looks to be
unstoppable. Expect the unexpected, prepare to bang your head and revel in the aweinspiring new album ‘Venerable’, out March 15!