Album Review: Tangerine Tragic by The Oklahoma Kid (Arising Empire)

Modern metal quintet The Oklahoma Kid will release their brand new full-length release, Tangerine Tragic, on 3rd June 2022 via Arising Empire.

Formed in 2012, The Oklahoma Kid have consistently pushed boundaries with their take on modern metal, bridging the gap between technical intricacy and energising rhythms. The band’s 2014 debut EP Fortuneteller established their position within the German metal scene with their signature blend of genres. In 2015 they revealed their sophomore EP Doppelganger, working with renowned producer Aljoscha Sieg (Eskimo Callboy (now Electric Callboy), We Butter The Bread With Butter, Nasty) to deliver their signature bouncing grooves and futuristic synthesisers, complete with catchy hooks and singalongs.

2017 saw The Oklahoma Kid enter the studio to work on their debut album Solarray, a release that displayed the band’s full sonic scope and capabilities and they continue to electrify crowds with their passionate, relentless performance, touring with Stick To Your Guns, Carnifex, Evergreen Terrace and Hatebreed.

Known for their unique blend of genres, the avant-garde five-piece continue to push boundaries and break old conventions and will be looking to do the same again here on Tangerine Tragic.

The Oklahoma Kid are Tomm Brümmer on vocals, Fred Stölzel and Andreas Reinhard on guitars, Robert Elfenbein on bass and David J. Burtscher on drums.

Tangerine Tragic comes with 11 tracks on it and a hefty 45+ minutes of music to enjoy. We get underway with To Dance With Fire and the eclectic sounds come straight at you with a heavy electronic beat reminiscent of 90’s techno. It’s not unpleasant and blends well with the heavier vocals that join in. Crunchy guitars take control forcing the electronica backwards a bit. Still prominent but just less so. I like the overall sound and the vocals are decent. The ending verse is pure magic, sung with attitude and feeling and genuinely feels massive and important. A little breakdown then closes out the fist track and I feel a little puzzled overall.

My natural instinct is to run a mile when the electronica is over used and these guys are going to town with it. Yet, I like it – it’s really cool that they are making me see passed my own walls. Something I would need to do to really enjoy Pale Tongue, an old school dancey sounding track in regards to electronica and beat but mixed in with a combination of hardcore and an almost thrash like, catchy as hell chorus. Genre boundaries mean nothing to these guys – for the better. Pale Tongue also has an absolutely phenomenal drum performance throughout it.

A Velvet Feel mixes things up a bit, dropping into smoother tones with a nice clean dinging voice on show sitting within a subtle bed of electronic music and melodic guitars. The chorus sees the tempo and passion raise without ever losing that smooth and easy to listen to feel. It’s a very strong song. Words Like Violence has a dreamy old school synth intro before that same level of smoothness carries on the almost delicate feel of the track. Smooth vocals sit over a bubbling electronic sound, picking up for a bigger chorus. This one does get a little too much into the electronica for me to really enjoy it but I don’t dislike it, just not a repeat listen for me.

Replaced stays in that gentler style though has a bit more of a poppy rhythm to it. It doe spick up to a much more core chorus with plenty of intense shouts and crunchy guitars but with Tangerine Tragic now hitting me with 3 or 4 smoother tracks in a row, I find myself pining for a straight up heavy one. I do love the chorus in this one though, and there is a neat solo. It’s a strong song. Come Undone arrives and brings and instant smile to my face – it’s like The Oklahoma Kid new exactly what I needed and hit me with a punchy, aggressive up tempo banger. The structure to this song is excellent with interesting vocal delivery, cool drum rhythms and loads of guitars sitting over a more subtle synth. Love it – this is my favourite track so far, by far.

Waldsterben keeps the smile on my face with a ripping pit filler song. Loads of gang vocals, pace, energy and aggression creates a cracking track. I like the use of electronica, it’s plentiful but not too in your face with the vocals, drums and guitars being the driving force here. The chorus is great, it’s another favourite with Tangerine Tragic being nothing if not diverse. There really is something for everyone here. Dye Black to Pink has a nice and gentle melody and rhythm to guide you in. It’s a smooth listen with some nice harmonised vocals but never really takes off. It has nice and deep lyrical content but just falls a bit flat for my tastes.

Melt Into You is a banger though and course corrects Tangerine Tragic quickly. It nice and heavy with a strong tempo and impressive drums. The vocals are passionate and the subtle use of synth is effective. Lost Purpose sees The Oklahoma Kid continue to do what they want with a summery, pop melody to start that also has a little bit of a video game feel to it. It transforms into some crunchy rhythms before transforming again into a clean sing over wavy synth. The chorus then switches to a thick core sound with aggressive vocals and clever guitar melody and riffing. Its an interesting song, a twisting and transforming track.

So we reach the close of tangerine Tragic with the track Ohnmacht. To be honest, the album is so multi genre I have absolutely no idea what we will get to close. What we get is another mutating, transforming track that has a heavy synth start with smooth vocals and gentle drums rhythms. It builds to a heavy chorus that is one of the best choruses on the album. The chorus comes packed with thick bassy riffs and punchy drums. We even get a little “bleurrgh” before a crunchy headbanging section packed with shouted gang vocals. A drop back to synth sets us up for a big ending with the chorus coming back but will little variations. Decent.

Tangerine Tragic is a very strong album and really does showcase The Oklahoma Kid as both immensely talented but also immensely eclectic. The variety on offer across this album is amazing and it keeps every song feeling exciting and unique, even when they aren’t always to your taste. That’s the thing with massive variety on albums. A lot, not all, but a lot of people like a genre or genres so inevitably there will be songs or moments in songs that may not be to your taste. Try to see passed that though and enjoy Tangerine Tragic for what it is. A clever, unique and often fascinating journey through borderless music.

Preorder or presave a copy of Tangerine Tragic at this link.

The Oklahoma Kid Links

Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Bandcamp – Arising Empire