King’s X Enjoys Best Album Chart Debut Since ’96

KING’S X ENJOYS BEST ALBUM CHART DEBUT SINCE ’96:

June 2, 2008

After a 12-year absence, veteran rock act King’s X returned to The Billboard 200 last week with “XV” (InsideOut/SPV), debuting at No. 145.

“The first few records, we all wrote a lot of music on our own and reworked it as a band,” King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor tells Billboard.com. “We went through a period where we were writing everything in the studio, because it was much more spontaneous. But if we do anything for too long, we have to switch it up to keep ourselves interested. So we decided this time to do some writing ahead of time again, and see how that worked.”

The end result is something the guitarist is quite happy with. “I like a larger percentage of this record than I have in a very long time. There are a few that I think are undeniably some of the best stuff Doug [Pinnick] has come up with,” he says.

Also recently released was a vintage King’s X live release via Molkenmusic.com, “Live and Live Some More.” The project was recorded during a stop in Dallas on the group’s 1994 tour in support of its popular “Dogman” album.

“We put out another live album a few years back that was based on some board tapes with some real iffy gear,” Tabor says. “[This new] live album should have been the one we released before.”

This summer, King’s X is teaming with the recently reunited Extreme for a series of dates on the Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp Tour, beginning July 29 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Taking its name from an ongoing annual camp in which fans get to play with renowned rockers, the tour will feature an opening performance by campers joined by Gilby Clarke, Elliot Easton and Glenn Hughes, among others.

“They’re filming it for a reality show,” Tabor says, adding that he’s particularly excited to see Hughes perform each night. “But I’m looking forward to it, because I don’t know what to expect.”

And while King’s X remains Tabor’s top priority, he still has time for other projects, including Xenuphobe, who recently released its second album, “2.0.”

“It’s a project that started a few years back with me and Wally Farkas from Galactic Cowboys,” Tabor says. “Me and him have always been fans of very out-there, experimental music. It’s meant to be listened to from beginning to end as an entire thing — like watching a movie.”

Also on the horizon is a new Tabor solo album. “I’m a good ways through it. It’s a pretty heavy guitar record — by far the heaviest solo thing I’ve ever done,” he says.

Courtesy of www.billboard.com