Fit for a King "Deathgrip" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Ever since I heard their album "Creation/Destruction", I've viewed Fit for a King as one of the best metalcore bands out there and one of my personal favorite bands in general. Their sound is always hard-hitting and never stays the same from album to album. What makes it better is Ryan Kirby's incredible screaming abilities as well as some superb clean vocals from Ryan, aka "Tuck", O'Leary. Musically this band has always done very well, with their guitars and drums always feeling prominent, and having some very memorable guitar riffs and breakdowns. I love their third album "Slave to Nothing". It really improved on the bands' strengths: the breakdowns were there in appropriate instead of in excess, Tuck dominated and created some memorable choruses, and the lyrical content was very strong and uplifting. The primary theme of this record is one I think anyone can get behind: we don't have to be slaves to the things that hold us back; we can overcome those obstacles. That theme appeared repeatedly in the album, with the band discussing the importance of overcoming drug addiction, feeling undeserving of love, and finally how one can let go of their weaknesses even before death. Now FFAK is trying to build off the huge success of this album with their newest album "Deathgrip".

In regards to lyrical content, this album is a total paradigm shift from "Slave to Nothing". Instead of discussing overcoming sin, now FFAK is tackling all the dark issues that have and are plaguing our world, such as the Rwandan genocide, ISIS, abortion, and abandonment. Because of that, it's inevitable that both musically and lyrically, this album hits a lot harder than their other albums, which makes for a very tough but ultimately important listen. The album gets off to a magnificent start with the building opener "The End's Beginning" which leads to what is my favorite song off the album "Pissed Off". The title of this song sparked controversy since the band are Christian and "pissed" is a very strong word, but in the context of the song it makes since. This song is sparked by the ISIS attacks on the Bataclan. But instead of making the issue just specific to ISIS, the band discusses how guilty we all are of something. My favorite line in that song as well as one of my favorite lyrical moments of the year is "We are slaves to nothing but the blood on our hands". This is so true, and I immediately felt an emotional connection to this song because of that. Musically this is easily one of the most brutal songs FFAK have ever done, with Ryan's screams sounding absolutely killer, and the breakdowns really contributing to the righteous anger in this song. This is one of my favorite songs the band has ever done.

The album moves on to another huge album highlight "Dead Memory". Whereas "Pissed Off" uses raw anger to fuel its fire, this song uses honest sadness. The song is all about abandonment, and in the chorus Ryan takes the reign on the clean vocals as he asks, "Would you even notice/If my world was falling apart?/Would you even care/If my heart stopped beating?". I could feel Ryan's sincerity here in very real ways. There isn't really a solution offered here for something as huge as this (that is something that happens a lot on the album, but more on that later), but it would've been wrong if there was a solution. No one easily gets over someone they love abandoning them that easily, and this song shows it very accurately. I have to shout out Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red and his great feature here; I normally am not a big fan of him but his presence gave the song more emotional weight. The musicality of this song is just superb, especially with the unique electronic/symphonic elements giving the track an epic feel, making the song have all the more weight to it. "Shadows and Echoes" is the next big highlight to point out. Out of all the songs on here, this one feels like it could most easily fit on to "Slave to Nothing", and that is not a problem at all. This is the first time on the album where Tuck has the clean vocals, and as usual he sounds beautiful. This song becomes a bigger highlight because it is one of the more positively themed song as the band is begging to be let out of the darkness that is consuming them and everyone else: "The strong they stand up for their sons and daughters/The weak they flee from the sight of martyrs/We are the fire that won't burn out". The chorus of this song is super catchy, and the breakdown here really works as well.

Another (and honestly the final) positively themed highlight appears in "More Than Nameless". This is the most uplifting song on the album, as it doesn't end on a darker cliffhanger like most songs on here, but instead ends with a feeling of pure determination: "I've been spit on, I've been cast away/I am more than decay/You'll never hold me down/Rise up. I'm not nameless". The theme of the song, being that we are more than the labels society puts on us, is certainly empowering. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying  the darker content of this album is bad by any means. But the positively themed content deserves attention on this album because it does break the tension of the album briefly before taking us into much darker territory. The rest of the album after this song stays in dark territory, but it really works for the most part. The band continues to let out their righteous anger at the current state of the world in "Unclaimed, Unloved" which boasts one of the most memorable choruses on the album. The song discusses how it is so easy to feel unloved in the world because of how everyone feels abandoned in some way. The only thing I do wish came out of this song was God having a more clear presence, but still the song really works. "Stacking Bodies" is the most brutal cut lyrically and musically on the album, as it is talking about the Rwandan genocide. The song is difficult but worthwhile and important to give a listen to . It gives a message about how we can't just ignore injustices like genocides because they make us feel uncomfortable. We need to acknowledge the darkness in our world, and find a way to change it. The title track ends the album superbly, musically reflecting the artwork of the album with a dichotomy between Tuck's soft vocals and Ryan's very intense screams. The song is depressing, but plays out like a parable of a person who has realized their sins much too late. They chose death because of this lack of realization rather than God. This is the only song that has God explicitly mentioned in it, making the song have a more hopeful feel to it.

There are a few negative points of this album. One overbearing negative is how truly dark this album often can be, and this is mainly due to God not being a very big presence on the album. There are times when God's presence is very much implied such as in "Pissed Off" when Ryan suggests there is a way to "end this terror". But there are other times when the negativity can be overbearing and can make for a disheartening listen. While I did say "Stacking Bodies" is an important listen, it does remind me of a war movie that you may not want to come back to very often. This song left me emotionally wrecked. I'm certainly glad the album didn't end off with that song, but it was a little hard to register the title track after that gut punch the previous song left. I think it should've been placed at the beginning next to "Pissed Off" personally. "Cold Room" talks about abortion in a very one-sided way. While I lean to being pro-life, I think it's a bad thing to discredit all women who have abortions. "We Are All Lost" and "Disease" mainly suffer from being forgettable songs; lyrically they were fine, but soundwise they were a bit murky and generic compared to some other cuts on here.

So, what's the final verdict? Honestly, I REALLY like "Deathgrip". It feels like an album that is needed in a year that has been particularly filled with some depressing and hard events to talk about. The album addresses important themes, especially ones like loving others despite of societal labels, as well as trying to find solutions to wipe away the sins that are of our own doing. My main gripe is that sometimes the darker moments of this album feel like they overpower the positive moments. God is not much of a presence here either, and I felt like if He were a part of this album more often, then maybe the tone of this album could've been more uplifting like "Slave to Nothing". But still, I think this album is certainly relevant and couldn't have come out at a better time. I definitely recommend you listen to it and form your own opinion on all the issues the band is addressing. "Deathgrip" is lyrically complex and talks about a lot of things in very compelling ways, which is what really will elevate this album above many other metal releases this year.

Favorite Songs: "Pissed Off", "Deathgrip" "More Than Nameless", "Shadows and Echoes", "Dead Memory"
Least Favorite Songs: "Cold Room", "Disease", "We Are All Lost"