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Slowly approaching the end of a year that changed the world as we know it, few albums are still yet to come out in admirable yet futile attempt to distract us from all the chaos. So far, the metal world stood firmly together and ralied behind their favourite bands and surprising new releases, but out of that gloomy isolated reality comes a new hero to present us with yet another beautiful modern record to enjoy in its entirety. Kingdom Of Giants have been operating under the radar until now, but their latest offering Passenger might be the opus that finally changes all that and puts them in a well-deserved spotlight.
The North Carolina sexted first got my attention with their previous All The Hell You've Got To Spare (2017) so I naturally went back through their catalogue to discover a band that has been meticulously grinding their way forward. Despite its fair share of hallmark metalcore bangers, their abums still left something more to be wished for. Taking just the right time to regroup, Passenger sees them finding their true identity and evolving into a modern powerhouse on their own right, starting with the beautiful lead single 'Bleach'.
Finding new high-quality modern metalcore band these days is as easy as it is near-impossible. We do have millions of great musicians and artists all available at our disposal 24/7, but lets be completely honest here, a very large chunk of them are annoyingly repetative and predictable, with this extreme saturation of the scene in recent years really speeding up its inevitable decline and casting a shade over those who do have the potential to stand out. And then an unlikely heroe like Kingdom of Giants comes along, determined to shatter the status-quo with a lifesaving dose of originality and excitement.
One key part that cannot be ignored here, is their recent move to SharpTone Records, who have been going above and beyond to source and cultivate the freshest talent from the modern metal world, and appear to be the catalyst Kingdom of Giants have been missing so far. After all, we are talking about the label that only this year has given us Loathe's I Let It In And It Took Everything, Polaris' The Death Of Me, Currents' The Way It Ends and Alfa Wolf' A Quet Place To Die, with Passenger left as thei hidden weapon for the end.
What started with 'Bleach' back in early 2019 slowly evolved into a spectacular pre-release run, with 'Sync' and 'Wayfinder' raising the bar this Summer (both coming with fantastic visuals courtesy of one Orie McGinness, who has also worked with Bad Omens and Wage War, just to name a few), and culminating with the synth-led rager 'Night Shift' celebrating the official album premiere. And the best part is, this is far from everything Passenger has to offer, the record unleashing Kingdom of Giant's real potential in its fullest, from the monumental opener 'Two Suns' all the way to its surprising and epic finale 'The Ride'.
Much like almost everyone in their school, Kingdom of Giant's music naturally develops from the genre's early legends like Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying, reworked unter the more complex and modern influences by Architects and Northlane. Unlike many others, however, they manage to break away from the confinements of this overused formula and Passenger sees them embark on a path to establish their own identity. Each of the tracks in this record elaborates familiar ideas into something captivating and fresh that has been missing for a while in the scene, and together form a cohesive, impactful and memorable showpiece.
It might sound like a cliched exaggeration but all six members shine with individual instrumental mastery and Passenger easily delivers some of the finest musical parts and nuances we have heard in 2020, if not in a few years. Dana Willax' vocals and range are exemplary, Max Bremer's and Red Martin's guitarwork is imaginative throughout, Levi Norris' and Truman Berlin's bass and drum backing are simply flawless, and Julian Perez's keyboards add a consistent but well-balanced aethereal framing of the entire masterpiece.
And if all of this is still not convincing, 'Two Suns' is hands down the absolute best modern metalcore song of the year and an example for any anthemic, melodic banger with its structure, progressions and overall execution. This goes right into the familiar brilliance of 'Night Shift' and 'Sync' and sets the stage for 'Side Effect' and 'Burner' to reach new highs and fully grip you into Passenger's world of endless wonders. And just like that, hallmark upon hallmark, we reach 'The Ride' and a wild Courtney LaPlante appears uncredited out of nowhere to give the entire record the stellar final touch it deserves.
This all might still sound like unnecessary overpraise, but on hand Kingdom of Giands are criminally underrated, and on another, Passenger is pure perfection. Musically, lyrically, visually, technically, the records sets new standard by which to judge others from this generation. How well it fares remains to be seen, but if this album goes unnoticed due to ridiculous pandemic-related complications in distribution, touring and promotion, I don't want to be a part of this scene. Kingdom of Giant need to be in everyone's radar from now on, and I can only imagine how they follow-up on this new ShaprTone chapter of their life.
Kingdom Of Giants - Passenger
Country: USA (CA)
Released: 16 October 2020
Label: SharpTone Records
Tracklisting:
01. 'Two Suns'
02. 'Night Shift'
03. 'Sync'
04. 'Side Effect'
05. '00397'
06. 'Burner'
07. 'Wayfinder'
08. 'Blue Dream'
09. 'Sleeper'
10. 'Bleach'
11. 'Lost Hills'
12. 'The Ride'
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