DEATH OF KINGS: “KNEEL BEFORE NONE”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Jun 082017
 

 

(Wil Cifer reviews the new album by Atlanta’s Death of Kings.)

In the past I never felt the other recorded efforts by this Atlanta band were accurate representations of what they really do on stage. The vocals on previous releases often had a lower, more throaty husk to them, like old Mastodon. In other releases the guitar tone was recorded to give a false death metal density. I think anything that doesn’t properly paint these guys as a thrash band is misleading.

But with their new album we are getting what I have heard come from the monitors. The screechy vocals that sound like a more feral version of Overkill. The more razor-sharp guitar tone, one that feels more natural when it comes to the mid-paced gallop on “Sojurn”, which appeared on their 2015 demo.  The double-bass gets heavier on the chorus and muddies the mix a bit, but I think the biggest takeaway is how they have matured as songwriters, and it’s not just about finding cool riffs. Even with the tempestuous drumming, all the moving parts just seem to lock in better to tell the story. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SUNDAY: SÓLSTAFIR, DEATH FORTRESS, MALEFIC LEVITATION, DEATH OF KINGS, CANVAS BLACK, BRIQUEVILLE, VLK, RECTAL HYGIENICS

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jun 042017
 

 

More than a week has passed since the last time I compiled a round-up of new music for our site, the delay mainly caused by my MDF trip to Baltimore. As I look at the over-stuffed schedule of premieres lined up for the coming week, it may be another week before I can do another one.

Needless to say, I have a dramatically large list of new and newly discovered music from which to make selections. There’s not much rhyme or reason to my choices for this round-up, except of course that I like all of them — and hope you will too.

SÓLSTAFIR

I’ve been a devoted fan of Sólstafir for many years, staying with them as their music has evolved and their fame has grown. Yet we’ve written very little about the band’s new album Berdreyminn. I suspect one reason is that when most of us here decide what to write about, we tend to favor bands who could use a little extra support rather than those who are already getting voluminous amounts of attention from sites with a far broader reach than ours. And Sólstafir are certainly in that category now. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DEATH OF KINGS — “HELL COMES TO LIFE”

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  3 Responses »
Mar 082017
 

 

After a series of well-received shorter releases, Atlanta’s Death of Kings will be releasing their debut album Kneel Before None later this year on CD, with a vinyl pressing to follow. But before we get to that point, Boris Records will be bringing us a Death of Kings single on March 31, and we’ve got the premiere of its title track for you today: “Hell Comes To Life“.

Truer words were never spoken, because this song is explosively hellish, in all the best ways. It’s the kind of turbocharged, obliterating thrash ferocity that may make you want to destroy things, while it’s destroying you. Continue reading »