It hasn’t been since the last offering from Whitechapel that anything from the worlds of metalcore or deathcore has really managed to come around and grab me by the throat in any meaningful fashion. All droughts come to an end, however, and I bided my time. It was anybody’s guess as to who would be the band to end my drought and deliver an impactful performance that manages to fire on all cylinders and accomplish excellence the likes of which many of its contemporaries simply aren’t bringing forth. Fittingly, it would be the return from For I Am King that would end such a madness-inducing time for me with their sound still having its mark on my psyche even after these years, and it’s clear that the act has been anything but still in their time since “I” five years ago.

Being able to go in any direction can be both a blessing and a curse as it allows you the freedom to, obviously, do whatever you want, it can also be hard to actually figure out in some ways what you want to do when you can do whatever you want. In the case of For I Am King, however, they decided to double down on what was brought forth in their previous album with their third offering, “Crown”, delivering a performance that focuses on the vicious cycles of power that we can learn much of from simply looking upon history while it’s all backed up by a real sense of what has always made this particular style great in the first place. From an evocative core that fuels the exquisite sense of musicianship that permeates every moment of these nine tracks while the diverse vocals tie the powerful record together in such a manner that the work as a whole is nigh on compelling right from the very beginning, “Crown” is destined for nothing less than success. Infectious right from the onset, I would dare any fan of the style to not find themselves utterly rooted by For I Am King. What has been brought to the table here cannot be underestimated with it becoming nothing less than a terrifically powerful performance that hits on all the right notes, checks off all the right boxes, and fires on all cylinders to deliver an unequivocally stupendous package that is not the be taken lightly in any form whatsoever.

This is the injection of greatness that the style has been sorely lacking in recent times with it really appropriate that one of the best new names in recent years would be the one to deliver glory on a level that is just simply scrumptious in every category with it all but cemented For I Am King as a need-to-know name in their sound by far. All that’s been promised with “Crown” was achieved in true magnificence on a high scale the likes of many could only ever hope to achieve, and I know damn well that For I Am King still has a long way to go before they’re satisfied with their status.

“Crown” releases on January 19th!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Crown” via YouTube here or below.

LIKE For I Am King on Facebook here.