I think it’s safe to assume that when a metal band announces a fifth album, most fans brace themselves for an album that either alienates them with something completely unrecognizable or bores them with a replica of the last few years. However, this is not the case with Fit for A King. Since their debut Creation/Destruction in 2013, the Texas group has seen nothing but great success with every additional release and that does not change with last week’s Dark Skies. Although not decidedly genre-changing, the album serves as an example of what can happen when a band sees what they are doing right and further enhance those aspects. With bone-crushing moments wrapped in wonderful melodies, this album proves why Fit for A King will continue to reign high above the others in the genre.
Dark Skies opens up with “Engraved”, a heavy dose of everything that has made fans love them thus far-aggressive screams and beautiful guitar work. I was happy with the opening track given that most of them add up to nothing more than an unnecessary segue into a track that actually resonates with fans. “Engraved” reaches out and punches you in the mouth and gets your blood pumping just in time to throw one of the most melodic songs to ever come from the group flying at you with “The Price of Agony”. The song continues on its aggressive pace, but when the chorus hits with a mixture of clean vocals provided by BOTH Ryan Kirby and bassist/clean vocalist Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary, you won’t be able to resist nodding along. My personal favorite comes next with “Backbreaker”. This song will be one for the pit with blast beats and heavy bass that seems to have inspired the name, and then just as you get through the first chorus, guitarist Bobby Lynge does what he does best and sends you spiraling with a riff that is simply nasty. “Anthem of the Defeated” follows up with a heavy Slipknot vibe and for the most part fits the mold of the first three songs until the raging beat is taken over by a brief solo that revives the innovative energy that encapsulates the album. The next two songs “When Everything Means Nothing” and “Youth/Division” bring the melody hinted at earlier to the forefront with an intensity that is both refreshing and mesmerizing. The vocals are clearly sharper and seem less out of place with the music-instead of clean choruses being thrown into the fray, they feel more in step with the guitar than previous releases. These two songs are sure to ruffle some feathers in early fans, but those same fans will be more than happy when they get to the next song, “Shattered Glass”-a borderline death-core track that showcases the insane ability of Ryan Kirby to scream into a mic and make it sound like the devil himself is coming out. “Tower of Pain” comes in to keep the train hurdling forward with Lynge on full display as he weaves in and out of Jared Easterling’s rabid drumming that finds no relief even when the chorus comes in. As the album begins to close, “Debts of the Soul” brings the soaring melody back for a final hurrah as the soft singing of Tuck walks side by side with Kirby’s vicious screams. I was extremely happy with the final track, “Oblivion” in the sense of resonance. The song has stuck in my head more than any others with its ferocious blast beats resurfacing again and again, vocals that are raw and genuine, and a melody that closes out an album marked by both creative and nostalgic aspects alike.
Musically, the album was a success. The instrumental work is something truly artistic and shows how bands don’t need to go to unreasonable lengths to create something fresh. A little innovation goes quite a long way. The lyrics find themselves balanced between the more hopeful declarations of Slave to Nothing and the captivating grimness of Deathgrip. Likewise, the lyrical concepts of the album delve more into personal struggles and victories than the world-wide despair covered in Deathgrip. Dark Skies is an album that succeeds in not cracking under the pressure of a previous release that allowed the band to make great strides. It is a highly enjoyable album that is a race through both nostalgia and the creativity of the future that Fit for A King has not and will not shy away from.
Top Three Songs: “Backbreaker”, “Tower of Pain”, “Oblivion”
New Music with Brady 