KING – Fury and Death
Release Date: 17th November 2023
Label: Soulseller Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Blackened Metal.
FFO: God Dethroned, Satyricon, Black Lava, Wormwitch.
Review By: Rick Farley
Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2014, melancholic blackened metal force, King are releasing album number three Fury and Death on Soulseller records. This quartet forges an energetic sound that takes the seamless blending of infectious songwriting, rage, and melancholy in a primal yet uplifting shell. Riffs weave in and out from razor sharp crunch and atmospheric dark sweeping melodies to pure black metal rawness. Already releasing two full lengths that vary in mood, Reclaim the Darkness (2016) and Coldest of Cold (2019), King were able to further enhance their sound into a more combined approach of the first two records, while maintaining maximum carnage and chilling atmosphere.
Most recent single, Perception Ignited, is packed to the gills with blazing tremolo picked guitars and suffocating blast beats. It twists and turns violently between crisp, thrashy riffs and melodic black metal with ease. Jolts of inflamed melody, and savage face melting speed intertwined with nasty hooks that come straight from hell, balances the overall feel of chaos and anxiousness. There’s a genuine feel of venom spitting from vocalist Tony Forde’s gargling shrieking. His harsh voice is incredibly good for this style of music and augments the burst of swift aggression and expressive atmosphere shown here. He’s capable of conveying the different moods needed without sacrificing any vocal brutality.
Mountains of Ice is almost the polar opposite in terms of overall feel. Equally vile and dark, but has a very cold feel to the track. Texturally this track is looser with frosty guitars, double bass and traditional melodic blackness that gives off the lost in the woods during a blizzard kind of aesthetic. Melancholic leads from guitarist Dave Hill shimmer over the gloomy ambience. The track swiftly changes gears without any jarring whatsoever. It smoothly transcends itself to an upbeat folky vibe with clean guitars and a head nodding beat that’s especially catchy and somehow euphoric. Blending different elements so effortlessly is stamped all over most of the tracks on Fury and Death.
However, Once and for All is a full on blast of uplifting melodic death metal, with muscular riffs and those ever so familiar Scandinavian guitar melodies. The hammering kick drum from David Haley is thick and would threaten to cave in your chest at high volumes. Bassist Tim Anderson drives the track forward with a low end pulsing. Honestly, this track sounds a lot like several other melodic death metal songs by numerous bands, but I don’t care, it still jams nonetheless and has a wicked groove to it.
If you were to listen to different songs at different times, you might think it’s a little scattered, but I assure you, in the context of the full album everything works together. Even though the album is only forty-two minutes long, it does feel about one song too many. While Fury and Death doesn’t offer much in the innovation department, it does however jam pretty fucking hard. It’s not going to be something that you spin continuously over and over for long periods of time, but that clearly doesn’t detract from the enjoyability of the record. It’s very well written, executed flawlessly and sounds great. King has crafted a catchy, refined, dark, furious, and beautiful record all at the same time. 
(3.5 / 5)
