Woe Of Tyrants - Kingdom of Might
Rating
RIYL
Becoming the ArchetypeDecapitated
Metallica
With Blood Comes Cleansing
Release Date
01/06/2009
Label
Metal BladeTracklist
1. Jesu Juva2. Soli Deo Gloria
3. Break The Fangs Of The Wicked
4. Pearls Before Swine
5. Kingdom Of Might (The Eclipse)
6. Kingdom Of Might (Dawn In The Darkness)
7. Sounding Jerusalem
8. Sons Of Thunder
9. The Seven Braids Of Samson
10. Like Jasper And Carnelian
11. Golgotha
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Cry out Samson, see without eyes! Cry out Samson, see without eyes! In all winds, seek anchor, the storm will soon be still.
Chances are, Woe of Tyrants destroyed more than one band's dreams of forging a top dog metal album when their high-flying record Kingdom of Might dropped. The pounding thrash metal session is not only difficult to top, but it also casts standards for its brand of “interpretation metal” well out of the reach of many present day metal bands. Indeed, Kingdom of Might attempts little in adding novelty to its story, yet still manages to reinterpret the band’s influences in a fashion that is convincing and engaging.
“Soli Deo Gloria” is the true takeoff of the album (“Jesu Juva” is a forgettable instrumental) and showcases Woe of Tryant’s sound in a nutshell. The vocals run along the lines of those of Becoming the Archetype and Misery Signals, but mesh well with the overall sound despite leaning towards a more metalcore vibe. There is constantly a dense flurry of wild guitar lines, thus diminishing the role of the drumming in various spots, but such arrangement only serves to enhance the enjoyment for the listener.
The inquisitive should not miss out on “Break the Fangs of the Wicked” for its display of the merciless speed the band is comfortable cranking their music out at. “The Seven Braids of Samson” gives quite an honest description of the band's brutality and “Golgotha” is very much legitimately colossal in scope. The entire album is full of enchanting surprises, really, and one would do themselves a favor just to sample a taste.
Occasionally, there will be a break in form for an enthusiastic solo, or in the case of “Soli Deo Gloria” and “Kingdom of Might (The Eclipse),” freakishly quasi-pop-punk melody structures. The band even has enough of a wandering eye to borrow some ideas from Maylene and the Sons of Disaster in the instrumental 3 minute southern metal romp, “Sons of Thunder,” so variety is well employed here.
Of course, while variety is present, it exists in amounts too small to protect against monotony on the otherwise thoroughly crushing album. The album isn’t concerned with the possibility of losing listeners halfway through its presentation, but is instead more focused on the validity individual tracks. This, then, is probably also its greatest downfall: Kingdom of Might is no piece-of-cake to listen to in one sitting. The level of brutality present provides the need to listen to something softer after 3 or 4 punishing songs. Couple this with a slight lack of memorable riffs and Woe of Tyrants now know where they must improve later on.
But for now, every member of the band can be content with what is an impressive display of dexterous ability to put the pedal to the metal. Everything the average metal fan desires is on board in Kingdom of Might, and Metal Blade Records has found themselves a potential next big thing in the heavy music universe. What could go wrong? Kingdom of Might says: few things.
--Matthew Tsai
Comments
Holt, MI
Still havent sat down and listened to this, but if it's anything like Behold the Lion, it'll be solid.
Infinitely Inwards
This is a badass album.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
The Mars Volta - Noqtourniqet
Aborted - Global Flatline
Spawn of Possession - Incurso
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
West Haven, CT
These guys are already on that road of next big thing.
I'd say there's a fair amount of memorable riffs, sure it could use more but that goes without saying.
I can see this being a top CD of 2009 for Metal and the year has just begun.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
San Jose, CA
Yeah I agree. With everyone
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
Minneapolis, MN
Way better than Behold the Lion. The mix is worlds better. With Metal Blade, these guys could definitely see some notoriety this year. And man, does Sons of Thunder have some shredding on it. Whoo!
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Minnesota
Man, I'm gonna have to go back and listen to this again since I didn't think it was anything above and beyond when I first listened to it...
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West Haven, CT
I'm rating what you said 1 star.
Because your opinion is starting to smell bad.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
JMU
Listened to this after reading the review and remembering that Behold The Lion had some good songs and was blown away. Immediately downloaded the album and listened to it sporadically during work over the past few days. I like the razor sharp riffing and the Biblical theme. Monotony is a minor issue when the shred is so precise and brutal.Nice critique and full agreement with the 4/5 rating. Early contender for 'deathcore' album of the year.