KINGDOM OF GIANTS | Passenger | Album Review

Kingdom Of Giants is one of the latest signees of Sharptone Records, a label that has seemingly excelled with unique metalcore acts that deserve attention. Starting in 2011 as an unsigned band, the band gained an underground following until the release of their previous album "All The Hell You've Got To Spare" in 2017, which was a minor success for the band. "Passenger", the fourth studio album from the Northern California band, is another evolutionary step in the band's career, even though their evolving process wasn't followed by as many people. The band started out as traditional metalcore with their early material, but slowly transitioned into more of a cleaner sound that blends different styles together such as alternative metal and even nu-metal in a way. It's a formula that so many other bands have borrowed from in recent times, and while some execute it extremely well (Polaris, Northlane), there are multiple other bands that blend into the background or do it in an awful fashion. Kingdom Of Giants seem to have a lot of confidence in this direction with the Matt Thomas produced "Passenger", especially since this is their first album on a new label and the pre-release singles have gained some substabtial attention. From the band's Facebook page on a post when the album was announced back in june "A lot of thought, grinding, bumping heads, anxiety and late nights went into this. It’s very nerve wracking and overwhelmingly exciting to finally roll it out. There were so many flaming hoops we had to jump through to make this happen. It’s been tough, but we’re here and ready. We hope you enjoy what’s in store. Let it rip." I was first exposed to this band in 2018 with their song "No Faith No Space", but ever since hearing about their new album and the Sharptone Records endorsement, I became even more intrigued by what this band had to offer So, with the final product available for listening, did Kingdom Of Giants live up to their potential? 

"Two Suns", "Night Shift", "Sync", and "Side Effect" make up the first third of this album, the latter two being among the many pre-released singles from the album. "Two Suns" is the album opener and does an excellent job at kicking the door down. There is an excellent blend of aggression and melody with vocalists Dana Willax and Jonny Reeves giving it their all in this department. The guitars are menacing and tenacious, but assist in elevating the melodic nature of the song. The voice message at the end that "wonders where the Kingdom Of Giants songs are" is a bit of an odd bookend but the song is so good that even that part is listenable. "Night Shift" follows suit with some gritty low djent-styled guitar riffs and a more hook-centered chorus. It isn't too far off from what other metalcore bands have tried recently, but the difference is that Kingdom Of Giants pull it off to perfection, especially with the electronic elements involved. Julian Perez serves as the band's keyboard player and he adds a very layered dynamic to both of these tracks and others on the album. It's not the typical rolling 808s and obnoxious pitchshifted samples that you get with bands that try to incorporate that element to their music, but Perez contributes heavily to the atmosphere of the album and it doesn't sound like what anyone else is doing currently in the genre. It's a breath of fresh air to say the least. The single that came with the album announcement, "Sync", has some of those same characteristics, but doesn't really connect with me as much. It's okay for what it is, but it's not one of my favorites on the album. "Side Effect" picks up where that track left off, and this is one of the best songs on the album. This is where all of this band's strengths are displayed, including the vocal chemistry of Willax and Reeves and the excellent and aggressive guitar rhythms and drumwork. There are vocal hooks all over this track, especially in the chorus and pre-chorus, and it's hard not to become physically involved when you listen. 

After a solid instrumental track in "00397", we are given the song "Burner". This is probably my least favorite song on the album. Granted, the guitar presence is there, but admittedly, the spelling out of the word "anxiety" makes this a skippable song. Not an awful song by any means, but certainly not great. Subsequently, the weakest song on "Passenger" leads to what is this album's highlight song and one of the best songs I've heard all year, "Wayfinder". This track gives the band a chance to showcase their slower and more melody driven side, while it definitely doesn't ignore the aggressive side and the unclean vocals from Willax are heard at several points throughout the song. There is a lot, lyrically, to get behind here, especially in the bridge, but what's just as impressive is the consistency in the musicianship. Every member is at their best here, with the most notable contributors being the two vocalists and the guitarist. That's impressive for a song that is more lyric and melody driven, but Kingdom Of Giants nails it. "Blue Dream" is another exceptional track, this one bringing more of that electronic-meets-djent hybrid and a guest vocalist in Michael Barr of Volumes. I would have liked Michael Barr to be used a bit more on the song, but for what this track is, it's still excellent and it's proof that Kingdom Of Giants know how to blend all of their characteristics to a smooth fixture. After that is "Sleeper", which is another fantastic track and one of my favorites on the album. The djent-styled guitar rhythm is SO addicting, and it's another song where every element is presented in an unbelievably perfect way. It's definitely one of the more aggressive moments, but "Sleeper" has so much going for it and it's definitely a hidden gem on "Passenger". On the lyric side, lines like "You're playing purgatory as middle ground" and "I'll know the face when I see it; Till then I'm calling your bluff" are exceptionally delivered as well. It's definitely another major highlight for me similar to what I described about "Wayfinder" and "Side Effect". The albums' true lead single, "Bleach", was released all the way back in early 2019, and definitely has more of an alt-metal feel to it, especially in the verses. It's a song that made me interested in what this band was capable of, and as proven with the aforementioned tracks on this album, they really didn't disappoint me. 

"Lost Hills" is another track that doesn't immediately interest me. Another slower song on the album, but lyrically I don't think this stacks up with the rest of the album even though there are some good elements present. We then close out the album on an exclamation point with "The Ride", which features Courtney LaPlante of the up-and-coming band Spiritbox as a guest. If you look at the Kingdom Of Giants discography, you'll notice that they have a knack for ending their albums with a guest vocalist, and this is the best instance of that yet. Courtney LaPlante has excellent chemistry with Willax and Reeves, and it's an anomaly in a metalcore scene where female guest features are often forgettable and try-hard. Every vocalist on this song is amazing, especially LaPante, and similar to other tracks on "Passenger", the guitarwork, drumwork, and keyboards all mesh together to create a blissful mix. That is heightened with the extended outro where the backing bands gets a brief chance to shine before fading out. It's a strong end to an album that is undoubtedly strong all the way through. Going into this album, I wasn't sure what to expect from it after hearing "Bleach" and the non-album single "No Faith No Space". When the album was announced, I figured that it would probably be solid, but "Bleach" would be one of a few songs worth writing home about. Now that I've listened to "Passenger" several times, and had some tracks on repeat since I heard the album in full, I can say that Kingdom Of Giants went above and beyond to deliver an exceptional album, and I'm now on board for what they have to offer on future albums. Overall, "Passengers" is an aggressive but accessible metalcore project for fans of Northlane, Polaris, and Architects, and it's nothing short of an excellent listening experience from front to back. This is definitely a band that's worth checking out and investing in, and it's another example of Sharptone Records' excellent track record in 2020. 

RATING: 9/10