Prepare to have your senses amplified with the talented rockers Kings County, who've just unleashed their latest single, "Wish."
These Orlando-based rebels don't just bend the rules; they snap 'em in half, which is especially true with their cover of this Nine Inch Nails' 1992 hit.
Kings County, comprised of the indomitable Rob Dexter (Vocals, Bass), Steve Bell (Guitars, Vocals), Joe Lopez (Drums), and Bill Kania (Guitars, Vocals), have never been ones to play it safe. Their mission? To take a classic like "Wish" and rip it apart, putting it back together with a darkness that'll have you craving more.
Frontman Dexter's fascination with Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails sparked this fiery cover. He's always enjoyed Reznor's unapologetic approach to industrial rock. "Wish" is a relentless beast, a song dripping with raw energy, and Kings County was about to breathe new life into it.
In their rendition, Kings County flips the whole damn table with how they approach "Wish." Real drums replace the cold, unfeeling machine, and layers of guitars create a seismic wall of sound. Chuck Alkazian, the wizard behind the producer's chair, resurrects Nine Inch Nails' signature keyboard sound, and Dexter? He unleashes a torrent of Trent Reznor-inspired screams that'll make your spine quiver.
But it doesn't end with the music. The video shot at the ominous West Virginia Penitentiary is like a horror film drenched in darkness, serving as the perfect backdrop for this heart-pounding track. Dexter sums it up best: "There are a lot of dark vibes in the building, such a thick negative energy that I've never felt before."
The band encountered the inexplicable—footsteps, voices from the beyond, screams, and maniacal laughter—all caught on camera. Even the equipment, with cracked lenses and mysteriously corrupted files, seemed to rebel.
Kings County has resurrected "Wish," but it's not just a cover; it's a relentless auditory piece that'll keep you coming back for more. Buckle up because "Wish" is a dark, bone-chilling ride into the heart of rock 'n' roll's madness. It's not just a song; it's a rock 'n' roll exorcism you'll never forget.
Welcome back to BuzzMusic, Kings County! We love your cover of Nine Inch Nails' hit record "Wish." Can you share the creative process behind transforming this iconic song into your own powerful rendition?
Thanks again for having us back at Buzz Music. We're excited to release our Nine Inch Nails remake of "Wish." We've always been fans of Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails since the 90s and the song "Wish" has always been on our radar. Last summer, we were throwing song remake ideas around with our producer Chuck Alkazian, and "Wish" came up. We agreed it would be a great choice, and no one has really remade the song in the past, so we started the recording process. It was one of the quickest songs we've put together. To make the song more modern and aggressive, using real drums was a must. We are a guitar-oriented band, so layering heavy guitars absolutely brought the song to life. To keep the integrity of the original song our producer Chuck Alkazian added the signature Nine Inch Nails keyboards, finished the vocal tracks, and the song exploded off the track. We had something here. We know that for "Wish," you imagined a bigger sound and opted for real drums instead of a drum machine, and with layers of guitars and a wall of sound, you've made it even heavier and thicker. How did these choices affect the overall sound and energy of the song?
Being a heavy guitar-driven band, we knew that our song approach to remaking "Wish" would be amazing. You never know how a song will sound until you dig into it, but as we began layering track over track, the song evolved into exactly what we envisioned: a ripping modern version of this iconic Nine Inch Nails song that any fan would embrace and appreciate as a tribute. Modern recording technology and the guidance of our producer steered us into recording one bad-ass song.
"Wish" was shot at the West Virginia Penitentiary, a truly eerie location. Can you share some behind-the-scenes experiences or moments that added to the dark and intense atmosphere during the shoot?
I've always been intrigued with the paranormal and shows like Ghost Hunters. One episode they were filming at the Missouri State Penitentiary and I thought that would be an amazing location to shoot a music video. As they say, be careful for what you wish for cause the idea became a reality. We got permission to film at the highly haunted West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, WV, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One of the things we wanted to use in the video was fire and West Virginia Penn was the only place that allowed us to use fire. The Moundsville Fire Department was on site to make sure we didn't burn down the prison. One thing I noticed immediately when entering the building was the heavy dark negative vibe the prison gave off. You literally could feel it. This prison held the worst of the worst, murderers, rapists, and downright evil people. We had a complete run of the building so when we weren't shooting we went around exploring. We had voices show up on video, screams, laughing, and footsteps. Even in broad daylight, we had disembodied voices show up on video. I was never a big believer in spirits but when they show up on your own recordings, it's hard to not believe. Let's get into what we really want to know about the music video component! All of these strange and unexplainable encounters during the video shoot. Was anyone scared on set, and how did these experiences affect the overall atmosphere and creative process during filming? Was there ever a time you wanted to pack up and leave?
Filming took 2 days, and these were long days. We never felt threatened ever but just knowing the history of the building was always in the back of our minds. As long as no one was physically being assaulted, we were there to make a killer video and the band and the entire crew were focused on achieving just that, spirits or no spirits. Maybe with our playback music of "Wish" blaring out we scared some of the spirits themselves, who knows? I think our drummer Joe Lopez didn't enjoy going into the building but he'd film his parts and then got the hell out. (lol) The building itself was an amazing structure, built in the mid-1800s, it has a gothic feel, almost like a castle and we knew that we were fortunate to be able to shoot in such a historic location so nothing was gonna get in our way, not even active spirits.
You've discussed capturing Trent Reznor's energy and screams throughout this track. How challenging was it to match the intensity and emotion of the original while making it your own?
Trent Reznor and I have similar singing styles. I knew "Wish" would be a perfect match for my voice and my approach and it would be only a matter of time before my finished vocal tracks would shine on the recording. Our producer Chuck Alkazian wanted me to explore different vocal ideas, adding octaves throughout the song and incorporating dark harmony vocals to really make the song my own. I always had a really strong scream. Not a lot of singers can achieve my thick throaty sound. I was up for the challenge to emulate that Trent Reznor scream and that's exactly what I got, some of my best screams to date. Hopefully, the listener will enjoy our version of "Wish" as much as we enjoyed recording and filming the video paying tribute to such an iconic band from the 90s.