Katone – “Flesh And Fire” EP Review
14th May 2025“Now you listen here, and you listen good kid, the name is Jimmy Calzone; you don’t gotta remember it, coz’ I ain’t gonna let you forget it shee! I’m in the mob shee, myeah, and if you ain’t got my dough by yesterday, I’m gonna take this here tommy gun and pump ya’ fulla lead quicker than you can order a chicken parmesan, kapiche? That’s if my good friends Frankie and Benny don’t get their hands on you first…POW! Right in the kisser, shee! Myeah. Yous heard of a broad named Lupara Bianca? Just as I thought, ya dirty rat. I’ll be calling last orders in this joint, you’ll be calling an ambulance kid, you ain’t worth makin’ no bones shee. Myeah”. Business has been settled, (Adjusts fedora.) Let us talk about music…and JIMMY KATONE…
OK, so, for reference, that was an in-joke and purely self-satisfying; like, literally three people at best will laugh at that, and they don’t even write for this website. But Jimmy Calzone sounded like Jimmy Katone, and I ran with it, holding scissors. I understand nobody will see any point in that intro, it’s an absolute waste of your time. MY point? It’s exactly how I felt when I opened up the EPK for the new KATONE EP “Flesh And Fire”, which we’re going to be looking at today.
Jimmy Katone apparently resides in Detroit, Michigan, and is, according to Katone’s Bandcamp at least, a master singer and songwriter (looks at the camera like I’m in The Office). Formerly of the bands MASON and HIT THE GROUND RUNNIN’, he’s allegedly taken Katone into a darker, more Gothic-inspired territory, utilising elements of hard rock and love metal. This tickled my interest frankly, as, being a HIM fan, I know Love Metal is a made-up, tongue-in-cheek middle finger and isn’t ACTUALLY a genre.
Is that HIS point? Does he like being fingered? Because the EPK they provided fucking FISTED me! It’s all in fucking German! Extend that arm, Sieg Heil, and wear me like a ventriloquist’s dummy if you expect me to speak German. It’d be like Jeff Dunham somehow managed to be even LESS funny, and he’s already about as entertaining as anusitis. Put him and Matthew Corbett in an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History… I want to see Achmed go all 8 Mile with Sooty; it would STILL be more worth my while than this EPK. Sooty can’t even fucking speak! Look, I’m still rambling; this is only a three-track EP, and I need it to be worth the time of day. Word count and all that. Press play…danke…
We begin with the title track, and arguably the better of the three offerings here today, and that’s not saying a great deal. It oozes classic hard rock elements, combining simple but assertive riffs and percussion, fleeting vocals, and an almost by-numbers lyrical approach to forbidden passion or longing. A metaphysical taboo, if you will. Feeling wrong and yet so right, in a potentially, hypothetically romantic or lustful situation. Like a Pot Noodle being a right slag of a snack. Could be a vampiric thing? Could be a metaphor; I mean, at least he’s from Detroit, not Alabama. Let’s focus on this record, not his theoretical criminal one, and ignore any notion that his family tree is, in fact, more of a wreath. At best, akin to say, a SOUTH OF SALEM demo with its hooks and decent solo, we’re in that ballpark area.
We follow this up with “Bound By Chains”, and it’s rather apt, as there’s very little movement here, truth be told. Some subtle classic elements and nuances nod to the likes of ALICE COOPER, but it’s a very slow, very plodding, methodical track. More lyrical notions of forbidden love and some risky romantic rendezvous…you have to ask yourself, is Jimmy Katone hiding something or someone? Do we need to get Steve Wilkos involved? Is this a confession by this point? Fuck the review; get this man on a register! I jest; this is for comedic purposes only, and slander, along with defamation of character, is something we consider seriously before making incestuous nonce jokes. We still make them, though. Bound by chains? ARREST THAT MAN! Another decent solo, though, credit where it’s due…
Finally, then, we get “Pull Me Under”, and we switch up for a sluggish and, for the most part, flat blues rock number. It’s an incredibly lethargic track, with a hint of a drawl giving the vocals a little more character, but for the most part, while an interesting inclusion, aesthetically, it’s nothing we haven’t heard before, and better. Again, the lead guitar work is enjoyable; the talent is there, but overall, even as a mere three-track EP, you’re left feeling a bit bored.
Having had a quick look at some of their back catalogue, such as their “Super Kooker” EP and the album “Combination Of Sins”, this is a departure from a previous sound, I will say. There WAS more of an IGGY POP or ROB ZOMBIE vibe going on at times in the past, but this does tread water nearer the darker end of the genre pool. Call it a grey area artistically. Does that make it any better? No, not really. “Flesh And Fire” on paper sounds like a grand, sacrificial statement, but in reality, it’s more like a carpet burn. It’s quick, it’s unpleasant, and difficult to justify. Never you mind how I got them, alright! Katone? You’re better off with ketamine…
EP Score: 1.333/10
Track List
Flesh and Fire
Bound by Chains
Pull Me Under
Release Date: Too Soon. (May 30th)
Label: NRT (Should be DNR)
