It is rare to encounter a release that feels less like a finished artistic statement and more like a collection of unpolished rehearsal tapes. From start to finish, “Long Live The King” is a bewildering experience that struggles to find any cohesive identity within the realms of epic/heavy metal. Upon the first listen, the production is immediately off putting, but the deeper issue lies in the songwriting itself. The band attempts to construct an epic atmosphere, yet tracks like “Warlords” and “King of Steel” rely on tired tropes and riffs that feel like dated relics rather than fresh contributions to the genre. The structural problems become agonizingly apparent as the runtime stretches on. Songs like “Realm of Light”, which drags until a 03:10 mark that underwhelmingly explodes into a “Whiplash”-style, rhythmically disastrous drumming pattern, are exhausting enough. But that aimlessness reaches its peak in the eleven minute equally aimless odyssey of “The Noble”. The execution only serves to further the disconnect. The solos are consistently out of tune, featuring such bizarre note selection that from a jazz fusion standpoint, even Guthrie Govan would be jealous of their “chromatic licks”. Moments intended as climactic buildups yield disjointed, painful solos and inexplicable stylistic shifts, such as the jarring, out of place pirate themed jigs in the title track. Even the sections that attempt technical flair, such as the bizarrely long mid-section in “For The Power & The Glory”, fall completely flat. In reality it’s just a monotonous, hollow void where the band seems to have forgotten to unmute their tracks, stretching a single, thin idea into an eternity of aimless noise. Ultimately, the delivery lacks the technical precision required to support the genre’s inherent ambition. It sounds like a demo from the eighties that remained in the vault for a reason. While the album cover art is genuinely striking, the music within is entirely unmemorable.
♦ 2/10
Panos Niko
