King - Fury and Death Review

It’s really hard to believe King as a band name wasn’t already taken. Yet so simple and so effective. I’d also add to that grand and pompous. How come a band name as King was never taken? Nah, I can’t accept that. “Fury and Death” doesn’t go so far from that road. Impressive Melodic Death Metal with lots of harmonic guitars giving the tone of the songs with many creative riffs and bridges as it is the usual for Melodic Death Metal albums. Interestingly, the album doesn’t have that NWOBHM taste in the guitars as its peers. Its instrumentals are much more related to Death Metal missing only the dissonances.

“Fury and Death” commences with that deceiving intro I always talk about with acoustic guitars and a celtic mood with some Led Zeppelin influence – never forget they were the band that brought us all this atmosphere. It’s a grand start for an album that promises fury and death which, effectively, come with following track “Perception Ignited” and its relentless pounding drumming. By the way, the drumming here impresses by the constant pounding and relentless double bass technique. It’s like having a machine gun inside one’s head. The guitars are also relentless with an initial riff that sounds it will never stop. Vocals are harsh and acid going by the same road. Great when everybody is in the same page. The constant instrumentals shifts is also a very appreciated and valued characteristic of the band. “Volcano” tells this story much better than I do. Go right to it. Watch the video embedded here.

Instrumentals are the very first thing that attracts to “Fury and Death” due to the relentless mood of the band of making lots of shifts to make songs never sound the same. The album doesn’t have that feeling of having the songs sounds almost the same. “Mountains of Ice,” for instance, breaks the constant pounding of the drums. Well, sort of. The song balances both. Pay close attention to the constant tempo shifts that happen during it. And then comes “Black Dimension” to put everything upside down in a snapshot. The song is furious as the album tittle promised. Again, it’s impressive how the band deals with the constant tempo shifts.

There are albums that really make a stand. “Fury and Death” is for sure of them. On the eleventh hour one more nomination for best album of the year. Well, not really the eleventh hour, but almost.

King “Fury and Death” will be released on November 17th via Soulseller Records.

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