On The Radar: Kyng
Guided by rock royalty, Kyng ascend the throne
From the age of five Eddie Veliz - frontman of sludgy LA riff merchants Kyng - felt his destiny lay in loudness.
"I saw a commercial for a compilation with like Dazed And Confused and All Along The Watchtower and thought, 'I wanna do that!'" recalls the guitarist. "They'd show Gene Simmons spitting up the blood and I'd be like, 'I can't wait!'"
Fate intervened when a favourite uncle let Eddie, sharpen his chops on -rather incredibly - a '58 Gibson Custom. "My uncle tells me, 'All the over cousins, I'd never let them touch that guitar, but you'd go in there and try and make a tune, so I'd leave you be.'"
These days Eddie pounds out Iommi, Page and Dimebag-influenced licks via a Dean Gran Sport that the firm modelled after a beloved '70s Guild S100.
"I was like, 'If you guys can replicate my Guild, we'll talk about it'" says Eddie. "Then I was hanging out [US rock DJ] Jose Mangin and he was like, 'Don't be a pussy! Dimebag was on Dean!'
"He was giving me this whole speech and my phone starts buzzing and it's Dean calling. They said, 'We've got this S100-style guitar and we want you to be the first one to play it.' Jose was like, 'SEE BRO! Dimebag is fucking telling you to play Dean!' So now I play these Dean Gran Sports USA Customs and I love 'em!"
Coincidence, or ordination? Catch Kyng on tour this November and decide.
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Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.