Album Review: Fit For A King – Dark Skies

We’ve all had those days where we don’t want to wake up. The tumultuous trials of the world seem like the tallest of mountains to climb, and we just don’t have the required mental equipment. Depression, anxiety, the longing and loneliness…they all seem too massive of a cross to bear. We lie there in bed just simply wishing…praying…that all our literal and/or metaphorical pains would just go away and we wouldn’t have to face them ill-prepared. Sometimes it’s these mental blockades that keep us from moving forward with our lives, and they keep us in this so-called prison of basically what could only be considered as a state of limbo that leads to a point of regression from positivity. Yet there are those times where we do the exact opposite in the face of adversity. We look those fears and tribulations straight in the face and say, ‘NO MORE!’. We decide to fight. To find a means of a cathartic release to help rise us above. This could be a multitude of things, but no matter the way, we find a path that leads us to feeling whole again. THIS is precisely what Fit For A King have done with the creation of their latest album, Dark Skies. It is the epitome of coming to terms with all of those demons any one of us could face, and how we choose to deal with them. Do you choose to cower and reside in your place of darkness, or do you strive to push on and find a better life? Through creating this music, the boys in Fit For A King have found the light at the end of the tunnel.

Genre: Metalcore
Label: Solid State Records
Release: September 14, 2018
Connect: Facebook | Twitter
Purchase: iTunes | Google Play

Politically speaking there is a massive division in the world today. Perhaps more so than in any recent history. You are judged on your beliefs in how the world should operate rather than who you are as a person. You want to follow option A, while others believe you should be pandering to option B, and through this hatred is born. A false sense of ‘knowing what’s right’ creates a rift amongst those who would normally be the closest of friends. That is what “The Price of Agony” conveys through its heavy delivery. The initial fade in of the guitars, which lead to a hammering rhythm of drumming almost acts as the beginning of the end of what was once an alliance of beliefs. A melodic and intense intro comes together all at once to create a song that is almost reminiscent of a rock’n’roll track laced with a visceral brutality. ‘No one’s voice will speak for me!’…a truly honorable statement when it comes to the world of politics, as so many today rely on the notions of others to dictate what they choose to believe in. Politics are a messy subject at best and Fit For A King have created the perfect song to speak to the calamity it all can cause.

Fit For A King – The Price of Agony (Official Music Video)

‘DARK SKIES’: solidstate.lnk.to/darkskies Follow/stream Fit For A King on Spotify: http://bit.ly/ffakspotify

Slipknot are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the world of metal. An ever-burgeoning force of innovation, creativity, and downright inspiration when it comes to this genre of music. Fit For A King’s vocalist Ryan Kirby has expressed that he is a fan, and never more has the influence been so affluent than on “Anthem For The Defeated”. The beginning of the track begins just as one would think a Slipknot track might. A muted, distant sounding guitar only overshadowed by a spoken voice, bitter message. Swiftly the track is brutalized in the most maniacal of ways, tearing through your speakers and into your earlobes. Kirby screams and shouts as if he was channeling Corey Taylor himself. The song feels like it could have been a demo which lead to “People = Shit” or “Custer”, but became its own beast entirely. We all have a monster living deep inside of us. How that monster manifests itself can be different for us all though. What we allow it to do, or what it makes us do can decide how our lives are played out. What you must do though, is everything you can to keep that monster at bay and from destroying everything you know and love. This track IS the story of realizing that, that monster dwells within you and the cognizance you hopefully have, to defeat them. It’s heavy. It’s scary. It’s sure to have you ripping apart your household in utter rage to find that release. The song is a banger.

Did you log on to Facebook today? Onto Instagram or Twitter? Did you scroll down that page and look at everything your friends and acquaintances are doing and say to yourself, ‘I wish that was me’? The trips to Alaska, the beautiful cars, that perfect guy or girl…you have none of it as far as you view it, but you want it all.  You wish that were you. Your life, what you have, it all seems pale in comparison. You get caught up in that digital world and forget about everything you have right in front of you. It’s easy to do. Everyone does. “When Everything Means Nothing” speaks to this sentiment. This manifests itself as a sort of anxiety which in turn begets depression, and we allow these trivial things to dictate how we feel and how we look at ourselves. The song does an incredible job of creating both a sense of longing and anger effortlessly. Sonically the verses deliver a feeling of an insidious anger, while the chorus seems to reflect on more of a sense of wishing and sadness. “Yea I was born in the rain” almost seems to insinuate the feeling of ‘why can’t I have what they have? Why was I given nothing, and they have everything? Is this how it’s meant to be?’. A foolish notion, yet one most of us have experienced at some point in this online age.

When Everything Means Nothing

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises When Everything Means Nothing · Fit For A King When Everything Means Nothing ℗ 2018 Solid State Records Released on: 2018-08-10 Auto-generated by YouTube.

Oh, those days when we were young. Those days when our biggest concern is what videogame to play, which cartoon to watch. Why don’t I have the same toy my best friend has? Why is math class so damn hard? As we get older we all remember those days when our ‘problems’ were no more than what today we’d consider a minor nuisance. Back then these so-called issues felt like an affront to how we wanted to live our lives, and as if they were the worst problems we were going to face from that day forward. As we get older we realize that those dilemmas were so inconsequential on the grand scheme of what was to come. The obstacles and botherations we can face today can cause us to be jaded, and from that we start to miss the purity of our youth. The innocence if you will. “Youth | Division” gives us this sentiment in such a perfect manner, that it causes that state of reflection, and makes you appreciate those days even more. We can all use this lesson to help better our views of what we have today and what we can create from that.

“Debts of the Soul” is a haunting and intense presence when it flows out of your speakers. A sullen guitar tone backdropped by the sound of pouring rain instills a sense of anguish and a feeling as if you owe something for all you have done in your life. You begin to comprehend that fact that the good and the bad that you’ve put out into the world has governed the lives of others, the end result in so many situations and now you must pay for them all. Upon first listening to the initial (roughly) minute and a half of the song you may begin to feel a build of emotion which only climaxes into possible tears once the song kicks into its most dire intensity. You’re almost forced with the reality that nothing in this life comes for free or happens for no reason at all, and we all must answer for what we’ve done. A harsh truth at that.

Life is definitely tough. Today you could walk outside of your house and have what you consider to be the worst day of your life. Everything goes wrong. An individual bashes you for your beliefs, your co-worker is going on that dream trip you’ve always longed for, you’re put into a situation where you feel utterly useless which then turns into you being the most complete definition of sad and alone. But, what will you do with all of this? Will you give in to these quandaries and crumble under the pressure? Or will you muster every ounce of strength and bravery you have to defeat and conquer every worriment in your way? We all need a cathartic release. You can find whatever yours is in a never-ending list of ways, and whatever path you choose to take is YOUR right path.  Whether it be working out, writing, painting, drawing, singing, playing an instrument…it’s all RIGHT. You must use these ‘tools’ to find your way to the light. To a better version of you. To a better life. Fit For A King have found their most absolute personal release with Dark Skies. The album broaches on a multitude of subject matter that so many of us face in our lives if not regularly, at least at some point. Subjects which we can all relate to on some level. Perhaps that’s your release. Taking solace in the fact that you are not alone in the depravity you can feel from all you must overcome. Listen to these songs. They will help. They will be your cathartic release.