Texas metalcore giants Fit For A King are back with yet another record, but it’s likely not the record you were expecting. Riding on the success of 2018 record ‘Dark Skies’, which has now amassed a whopping fifty million streams, the band have made a slight alteration to both their sound and their lyrical content. Where their last release was shrouded in darkness and touched on themes of alienation and abandonment, brand new album ‘The Path’ focuses on finding a way out of the darkness into the light, and does so by channelling a more traditional metal sound. Does it work? Well, we’ll tell you. Walk with us.
If you came here wanting non-stop brutality and more breakdowns than you know what to do with, you’ll be disappointed. However, if you came here wanting a balls to the wall metal record with the aforementioned traits tastefully woven into its DNA, then you’ll find yourself with a big old grin on your face. Fit For A King have leaned more heavily into the straight up metal side of their sound, swapping out a handful of their usual core elements to make space for shredding solos, anthemic chants, and straight to the point fist-pumping riffs. They haven’t completely abandoned their roots, though, and they’re still flaunting them every chance they get.
For those of you dying for some classic Fit For A King devastation, ‘God Of Fire’ and ‘Stockholm’ should do a pretty good job of satisfying your cravings. The former is a groove-laced rager made even angrier by a seething guest spot from Crystal Lake front man Ryo Kinoshita, whilst the latter is like an explosion in slow motion, slowly getting more and more destructive until it finally erupts into chaos. ‘Vendetta’ is a violent whirlwind too, stirring every ounce of anger into an uncontrollable frenzy full of crushing heaviness and unforgiving aural punishment. There are other songs with flashes of their usual sound scattered throughout the album but, on the whole, this record acts as a bold step into new territory for the band.
‘The Face Of Hate’ is a big and boisterous anthem, championing the guitar attack of Bobby Lynge and Daniel Gailey with neck snapping riffs and triumphant dual melodies that rocket the unforgettable vocal hooks skyward. The poignant ‘Louder Voice’ is a hefty portion of the same delivered as a sort of ballad hybrid, containing uncomfortably thick guitar tone, one of the biggest choruses on the entire album, and some of vocalist Ryan Kirby’s most passionate vocal work to date. ‘Prophet’ is a rollercoaster ride through a host of dynamic changes, leaping from solemn and sombre verses into crushing blast beats and thunderous guitars that whip the rug from beneath you in the closing moments.
‘Breaking The Mirror’ sounds like vintage All That Remains, truly embracing that traditional metalcore sound from the mind-melting solo work and biting verses to the ever-satisfying squealing harmonics and infectious chorus. Title track ‘The Path’ is a roaring call to arms, steadily stomping along at a pace you could march to as it stirs you into clenching your fists ready for a fight. ‘Locked (In My Head)’ is a radio-ready juggernaut, while ‘Annihilation’ pits old school thrash vibes and modern metalcore against each other in a bare-knuckle fight – this record has a little bit of everything.
This may not be the metalcore mosh monster that you were expecting, but it is still a monster – it’s just not quite as terrifying as it once was. It’s traded eating and smashing everything in its way for picking up a flag and waving it high in the sky, walking a brand new path and attracting new admirers along the way. An impressive colossal beast that you’d want to be friends with, but still wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of.
‘The Path’ is far from Fit For A King’s heaviest record, but it’s easily their catchiest and most accessible, seemingly sculpted with precision to enable them to level big venues and festivals with their new sharp and shiny tools. ‘Breaking The Mirror’ cracking the Billboard Top 40 Rock Chart is a sign that their weaponry is definitely capable of the task, so it’s really just a matter of time until the takeover becomes a reality. Their arsenal is ready. Are you?
DAVE STEWART