(written by Islander)
Earlier this month the international melodic death metal band Til the End released their debut EP, Dark Kings, preceded by a full streaming premiere at Decibel that included these words of introduction:
Across its runtime, the band flexes their songwriting chops with razor-sharp melodies, relentless energy, and a deep-rooted understanding of what makes melodic death metal truly hit. Fans of Slaughter of the Soul-era At the Gates, early In Flames, and modern Arch Enemy will feel right at home in TIL THE END’s sonic assault.
“With Dark Kings, the band distills the essence of classic melodic death metal into a modern, high-impact form—balancing soaring hooks with high-speed aggression and intricate riff work. This is just the beginning for TIL THE END, but if this EP is any indication, they’re a new force worth watching.”
To help spread the word further about this very impressive debut EP, we have two things to share with you today. The first is a stunning music video for a song from the EP named “The Sumerian“, and the second is a track-by-track commentary about all the EP’s songs by the members of the band — vocalist Antony Hämäläinen (Nightrage, Armageddon), guitar virtuoso Kostas Sotos (Mystic Prophecy, Crystal Tears), drummer Márton Veress (Orgy, Armageddon), and bassist/rhythm guitarist Nic Svensson (Slaves For Scores).
Since we’re focusing on “The Sumerian“, we’ll pull forward a comment about it and the video from Antony (it’s preceded on the EP by a track named “Ur Ningirsu“, and Antony talks about both):
“Ur Ningirsu” is the intro to “The Sumerian“. It was written in layers and the outcome was more of a soundtrack feel than a song. I had the lyrics and vocal melody before we added the sound effects and Sumerian language. The title is after a Sumerian lord.
“The Sumerian” is our most diverse track. The voice at the beginning is my daughter at age 3. We normally follow a verse-chorus structure, which is more typical of pop music and makes the material easier to digest. However this song is the opposite. Kostas’ riffs almost carrying the harmonic echos of Dissection, mixed with Middle eastern inspired melodies. Márton’s drum patterns are very memorable and with so much imagination. In the studio Nic simply pushed the “sad apparition of death on a Sumerian morning” button. Good luck finding that button on your mixing board!
The music video was directed by Domenik Papaemmanouil and was shot on three different continents! In the Arizona desert, the fields of Hungary, and on the plains of Egypt! This imagery helps to enhance the lyrical concept of the mysterious history of the Sumerian culture.
The video will get your attention quickly and then hold onto it with a strong hand. Of course, one very big reason for that is the song itself.
The opening riff is a furiously feverish attack, pierced by notes that scream like a warning siren. That opening seizes attention too, but then the song settles down into a stomping cadence, with slashing chords that create a grim and grievous mood, and vocals that are themselves jagged, cutting, and furious.
As the song proceeds, Til the End continue shifting tempo-gears, charging ahead with fiery, fleet-fingered, thrash-powered fretwork and neck-snapping beats but also casting dark shadows. At high speed, the music blazes, but the melody also begins to sound eerie, disorienting, and disturbing. The vocals vary as well, exploding in shattering screams, diminishing into menacing spoken words, and doubling up to vent vicious snarls.
There’s no question the song provides listeners a surge of high-octane adrenaline-fuel, but it also continues to create dark moods, moods of menace and encroaching misery. The spectacular soloing participates in both ways, creating sensations both melancholy and deliriously ecstatic. The song culminates in a way that will blow the top of people’s heads off.
It really is a thriller of a song conceived and executed by people who clearly know what they’re doing. But that’s true of the EP as a whole too.
To acquire the Dark Kings EP and learn more about Til the End‘s activities, visit the locations linked below — and then stick around for the track-by-track comments.
DARK KINGS:
https://tiltheendofficial.bandcamp.com/album/dark-kings-ep
https://open.spotify.com/track/4DRuWIYXPUmDFoscFdvFzu
TIL THE END:
https://www.instagram.com/tiltheendofficial
https://www.facebook.com/tiltheendofficial
TRACK-BY-TRACK COMMENTS FROM TIL THE END
As promised, below we’re providing comments from the band’s members about each of the songs on Dark Kings:
Antony Hämäläinen – vocals
Kostas Sotos – guitars
Nic Svensson – bass, guitars
Márton Veress – drums
Nic – Cemetery Trees:
“Cemetery Trees”, to me, is everything you want in a modern melodeath song. At its core, the song stays true to the roots of the classic Gothenburg sound…crunchy, driving riffs, beautiful harmonized lead guitar work, energetic, galloping drums, and aggressive, powerful vocals. Structurally though, it’s a pretty straightforward, mid-tempo song that appeals to fans outside of the genre as well.
Nic – Dark Kings:
The title track “Dark Kings” is a song that somewhat blurs the genre lines and could arguably be the most “radio friendly” song on the EP with the inclusion of some clean vocal harmonies and a big anthemic chorus. Make no mistake though…throughout the song, the hallmark elements of classic melodeath are proudly present. Kostas tops it off with a technical, yet soulful guitar solo and Antony’s vocals are nothing short of hauntingly brutal.
Kostas – Higher and Beyond
“Higher and Beyond”…definitely one of my favorites. Til The End’s first release, which makes it quite special for us. It captures the very essence and spirit of Til The End. It’s got everything, it’s heavy, it’s melodic, has intense head banging riffs, crazy guitar work, aggressive vocals, pounding grooves, you name it. Even the very first verse “Deep inside the rooftops..” reflects perfectly where the idea for this band was born. In a very far place of the world, in a rooftop, when me and Antony said to each other “Damn, we got to play songs like this sometime” and that was it! It’s all there. When I came up with the intro melody, I instantly felt there was something special about it ,and I had to work on it further. When finally Higher And Beyond was complete, right from the first riff, the song spoke to our hearts, and its melodies haunted our minds. Makes us head bang like crazy every time we play it, and we enjoy every note in it. Give it a listen, incase you haven’t done so yet!
Antony – Ur Ningirsu/The Sumerian:
“Ur Ningirsu” is the intro to “The Sumerian”. It was written in layers and the outcome was more of a soundtrack feel than a song. I had the lyrics and vocal melody before we added the sound effects and Sumerian language. The title is after a Sumerian lord.
“The Sumerian” is our most diverse track. The voice at the beginning is my daughter at age 3. We normally follow a verse-chorus structure, which is more typical of pop music and makes the material easier to digest. However this song is the opposite. Kostas’ riffs almost carrying the harmonic echos of Dissection, mixed with Middle eastern inspired melodies. Márton’s drum patterns are very memorable and with so much imagination. In the studio Nic simply pushed the “sad apparition of death on a Sumerian morning” button. Good luck finding that button on your mixing board!
The music video was directed by Domenik Papaemmanouil and was shot on three different continents! In the Arizona desert, the fields of Hungary, and on the plains of Egypt! This imagery helps to enhance the lyrical concept of the mysterious history of the Sumerian culture.
Marton – Sip Of Sadness:
From a drumming perspective, ‘Sip of Sadness’ is definitely one of the busiest songs on the EP. Its straight to the face, fast, has quick changes, blast beats, everything a metal drummer could dream about haha! Personally I love the tension between the parts: some sections are fast and aggressive, and some of them are very chill and mellow. A mutual Hungarian friend of ours, Istvan Varfi added some amazing synth loops to the verses, and angel like choirs in the background of the chorus, balancing out Antony’s haunting screams. The outro of the song reminds me a little bit to Astral Adventure, my fav Armageddon song I recorded with Antony back in 2016. This is definitely my fav song on the album!