Band: Fit For A King
Album: Creation/Destruction
Label: Solid State Records
Release: 3/12/13
Reviewer: Brody
Tracklisting:
- Creation
- Warpath
- Hollow King (Sound of the End)
- Broken Fame
- Bitter End
- Skin & Bones
- The Resistance
- Identity
- The Lioness
- Eyes to See
- Destruction
Over the past couple years it seems that the average music consumer has also become quite the critic (myself included). You see, we demand that bands have a fully unique and mature sound right after being signed and offer us an album that we will be spinning for years to come.
Fit For a King, the newest edition to the Solid State roster, allows me to think back on a simpler time. A time before all i sought was perfection and when I just wanted a solid cd I could listen to and enjoy at face value.
Warpath is a glimpse of what to expect from the album; tight drumming, heavy riffage with plenty of breakdowns, and vastly improved vocals. Hollow King (Sound of the End) continues to bring the heavy with complex riffing sprinkled in about the crushing breakdowns. The song also features intricate lead work throughout, giving the technical listener a little something to chew on.
Bitter End is the song that got me really excited about this release when it was premiered a few weeks before release. The whole band comes out swinging with this track, potentially showing the most collective skill in their respective aspects found throughout the whole album.
Identity and Eyes to See find Fit For A King pulling off the sing scream dynamic with extreme ease, allowing things to simply feel as if they are flowing and not coming off forced. From my experience reviewing music, I have found that it usually takes bands quite some time to work this skill out.
As for the previously mentioned vocals, Ryan Kirby’s have taken leaps and bounds from 2011’s album, “Descendants”. Bitter End is a great example of his new found range. Within seconds Kirby is navigating a sonic spectrum, dive bombing from ear piercing howls to guttural growls. Hollow King (Sound of the End) has finds the front man delivering his shrieking at varied paces, keeping things interesting. Potentially the most impressive showcase of Kirby’s talent comes in the form of, The Lioness. His half talking half screams truly make the breakdown near the halfway point memorable.
Not only does Ryan Kirby stand out on this record, but also the newest edition to the band, Aaron Kadura. I found the clean vocals to be the weakest point on FFAK’s previous record and Kadura fills the need the vocals on that record left me wanting. Broken Fame and The Resistance put the spotlight on Kadura as the choruses in those songs put heavy emphasis on his voice, relying on his melodies to make them stick in your head. However, Kadura really shines on Skin & Bones. This song has an eerie atmosphere and features nothing but Aarons soothing voice as he asks, “Is there life beyond the grave?/ Will I make the same mistakes day after day?/ There must be a better way/ I know that one of these days I’ll finally see You face to face at the golden gates/ Will You take me, or will I fade into the grave?”.
While Aaron Kadura is a great vocalist to be sure, it seems that his skills are almost abused at times. In the aforementioned tracks The Resistance and Broken Fame, the band chooses to overuse what used minimally would have been fantastic choruses into becoming a bit mundane. Hopefully decisions like this will not be made in the future as the band increases to mature.
Overall: While Fit For A King are still young, they manage to create what is simply excellent metalcore. Don’t expect anything outside of the box and just expect a solid metalcore release and I think you will be impressed by what Fit For A King have to offer.
RIYL: Memphis May Fire, The Plot In You, The Color Morale