Weekly Update #29 – October 13, 2024

FEATURED ALBUM
Kingdom of Giants // Bleeding Star
Released: September 20, 2024

Kingdom of Giants is finally back with new music. I have to say, I’m kind of surprised. These guys spent 10 years absolutely grinding it out before they finally caught a huge break on their 2020 album. And then it takes four years to come back with a six-song EP? And one of those songs is a single from 2023.

I mean, ‘Bleeding Star’ is still longer than Thrown’s entire album and Kublai Khan’s is only two minutes longer, so whatever. It’s just kind of crazy that they pushed through the first six months of covid to release ‘Passenger,’ which fans absolutely loved, and then they took such a long break from making new music. 

I don’t normally comment on marketing/business decisions like this, but you have to understand that I’m a huge Kingdom of Giants fan. I’ve been following them for like 15 years, and I had the chance to sponsor one of their tours in 2014 that I regret not doing. I even interviewed Dana in 2016.

So I love these guys and want them to have all the success in the world. And it sucks because you almost have to assume that things were going on behind the scenes that held the band back. One thing for sure was the departure and subsequent return of clean vocalist/bassist Jonny Reeves.

I could be wrong, but it just doesn’t seem possible that Kingdom of Giants or Sharptone Records felt like this was the best way to capitalize on the insane momentum that the band had in 2020. The closest parallel is Oceans Ate Alaska blowing up and then going radio silent after ‘Hikari’ in 2017. I will give KoG some credit though – they have been touring like madmen and getting out in front of people for the last two years.

And despite the four year gap, ‘Bleeding Star’ picks up right where ‘Passenger’ left off. Most notably, the synthwave elements make a return – bringing with them an upbeat, cyberpunk, retro, neon atmosphere.

“Asphalt” is probably the best standalone song on the EP. It has a groovy beat underpinning the heaviness, a catchy chorus, and Dana’s rough screams. “Wasted Space” is also a super solid contender. I was especially impressed with Dana’s singing (because it was recorded when Jonny had stepped away from the band).

“Scorpion” leans a little softer and “Bloodworm” is pure screams with a heavy drop at the end. “Smoke” is less traditional. It’s kind of…sensual. Somebody said that it’s slutty metalcore like Cane Hill and that’s a great description.

There’s no doubt that Kingdom of Giants has carved out a special niche. Their merch and music videos also have excellent artistic direction. You can easily see the vision and get pulled into the world they’re creating. And other bands are clearly picking up on the trend. I don’t think Bad Omens is specifically copying KoG, but their recent album, ‘Concrete Jungle [The OST],’ is full on synthwave. I’ll always give KoG credit for popularizing the style, I just hope they don’t lose their spot on the throne if they take another long break from making new music.

Playlist of New Songs

Quick playlist highlights

– Make Them Suffer‘s new album comes out on November 8. Kind of a late entry, but there’s a lot of potential for it to place highly at the end of the year. Alex Reade (their relatively new keyboardist/singer) also has some nice backing screams in this song. I’m glad to see the band continue to find new ways to utilize her (and that they don’t feel the need to add clean singing to every song).

– Ice Nine Kills is continuing with the horror movie theme. The song is good and I love hearing Spencer’s deathcore screams, but I just don’t go back to these songs very often. Their last few albums are obviously gimmicky, but it’s worse than that. It’s like they’re leeching off the fame of other intellectual properties instead of making their own original art. I’d like to see them create their own horror story. You have to wonder if people would care about it or if people just listen for the nostalgia songs about Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger.

– Fit For An Autopsy is throwing me for a loop. This is easily the best of the singles so far. The album might be more of a mixed bag than I was expecting. But yeah, these guys are killer when they keep it heavy.

– Distant‘s new album is due on November 22 which is insane because they just put out a phenomenal album in 2023. Best described as “colossal deathcore,” I can’t wait to hear what they’ve been working on. Interestingly, the new album is called ‘Tsukuyomi: The Origin,’ which seems like it will be a prequel to their 2017 EP titled, ‘Tsukuyomi.’

– This might end up being my favorite As I Lay Dying album since ‘An Ocean Between Us.’ November is shaping up to be a solid month of albums that might cause some last minute adjustments to album of the year lists.

– Memphis May Fire just released their fifth single and there’s still no album announcement. What are these guys doing.