Premiere: Death of Kings – “Sojourn”
If I told you Death of Kings was a REALLY good speed/thrash band, you wouldn’t believe me after listening to “Sojourn” from their upcoming album, Kneel Before None.
Atlanta, Georgia’s Death of Kings have been kicking demos and EPs around for a while. Their single release from earlier this year, Hell Comes To Life, features not only the raw, grisly artwork of guitarist Matt Kilpatrick, but also easily one of the best Judas Priest covers I’ve ever heard (“Hell Patrol”). If you haven’t already checked this band out, just go click on that bandcamp link and get familiar right quick. I can assure you both tracks are well worth the time for anyone who is a fan of Artillery, Judas Priest, Agent Steel, etc. Face ripped off yet? Here’s another track premiere for you. So knowing how this band sounds, I was expecting some more ignorantly fast, aggressive, over the top speed/thrash metal when I clicked play on “Sojourn.” I’m actually super stoked I was wrong, despite how stoked I was to get to write about a song premiere.
Nope, as soon as the track starts, we immediately get a Thin Lizzy/NWOBHM-esque riff. I don’t know about how this song fits in the album, but a track that mixes up the style of a band this much gets a huge A+ from me! I forgot to mention, the riff also def rules. The vocals clearly carry the hallmarks of a speed/thrash band, including the excellent high screaming on pitch vocals of Matt Matson and plenty of gang/backing vocals from the rest of the band, but also perfectly complement the nature and feel of the song. Structure-wise, the song is relatively simple, which is totally fine in this style and benefits the song, considering the quality of the riffs. After a couple verse/chorus sections, we are treated to a dazzling shreddy blues solo that should erase any doubts in anyone’s minds that this band listens to a lot of Thin Lizzy (AS THEY SHOULD). I’m really looking forward to seeing how this track fits in with the rest of the album, and I imagine it will be a huge breath of fresh air against their normal style of hellish speed/thrash.
Kneel Before None will be released by Boris Records on June 2nd. Give Death of Kings the ol’ Facebook like and tell them we said hello.
