“At the end of the day, I don’t want to fade.”
Following Bleeding Star in 2024, Kingdom Of Giants returns with Burning Chrome. The second in a series of EPs from the metalcore unit, it represents a return to regular activity for the band, having gone mostly inactive between the release of their last album Passenger, and the release of previous EP Bleeding Star.
Bleeding Star was a somewhat of an underwhelming return for the band. Although it had its highlights, it was ridden with banal, octanecore elements and an overall staleness that made it feel overdue. Burning Chrome manages to rectify many of these issues and reinvigorate Kingdom Of Giants’ with a much-needed freshness, while still keeping to their established sound. Since Passenger, the band have ventured into the niche fusion subgenre of synthwave and metalcore. Burning Chrome sees them lean into the synthwave elements much more heavily, to great effect.
With first single “Collide”, the band already displayed a stronger version of their sound with its punchy, energetic riffs and detailed electronic layers. Bassist-vocalist Jonny Reeves delivers an earworm of a chorus, his signature soaring vocals taking on a style different from previous Kingdom Of Giants tracks. Frontman Dana Willax’s iconic harsh vocals contrast the otherwise vibey track well, adding an edge of aggression that doesn’t feel out of place. Drummer Truman Berlin’s grooves on the track add to its momentum and provides the steady foundation that the track is laid on.
Opening track “Tune Me Out” opens on a weighty riff from guitarist Max Bremer. Reeves delivers yet another powerful performance on the verses and the chorus. The track takes a more familiar direction for the band, with its djenty riffs and synthwave elements being the stars of the show. Yet, where Bleeding Star felt like a rehash of ideas from Passenger, “Tune Me Out” is a much more noticeable effort in developing the band’s sound, building on the ambience much more prominently.’
“Lead Me Back” takes the synthwave-led ambience in a darker direction, with Bremer laying down a hefty main riff. The track reaches a crescendo with its ending breakdown, an impactful release of catharsis that sees Willax pull out some rare gutturals. Berlin’s rhythms throughout the EP are a steady element of consistency, and it’s displayed well here, especially during the moments of increased intensity.
The synthwave sound is perhaps taken furthest on “Cold Burn’, with its opening verse stripping back the heavy instruments entirely for a synth-led soundscape. The guitars and drums gradually join in as the track builds to its climax in the form of a punchy breakdown, followed by the chorus returning in full force. The more extensive use of the synthwave elements was always something that I wanted the band to try out, and “Cold Burn” executes the vision very well.
“Taste Of Poison” starts rather deceptively. Similar to “Tune You Out”, it starts as a standard, albeit well-executed version of Kingdom Of Giants’ usual sound, with Willax and Reeves’ vocal playing off each other with chemistry. The track’s twist comes with its unusually destructive breakdown, with Berlin pulling off brief flurries of blast beats before it descends into a downtuned smackdown. complete with Spiritbox-esque pick scrapes and Willax’s ferocious performance, the track represents another aspect of experimentation that the band has done well with.
Closing track “Digital Hell” brings all of the EP’s strengths together. The band’s livelier and punchier instrumentation and the captivating electronic atmospheres balances the aggressions and vibiness of the track excellently. Reeves’ propensity for a hook is displayed here yet again, with one of the EP’s catchiest choruses present here. “Digital Hell” wraps up Burning Chrome cohesively and satisfyingly.
In its entirety, Burning Chrome represents a refreshing step forward for Kingdom Of Giants’ sound. While it doesn’t do anything wildly different, the band retread old ground with new techniques, resulting in their familiar elements feeling revitalised. The band thankfully doesn’t continue in the footsteps of tracks like “Wasted Space”, instead choosing to focus on the elements that helped them to stand out with Passenger in the first space. Where Kingdom Of Giants goes next is up in the air, but Burning Chrome is undoubtedly a good starting point.
8/10
Burning Chrome releases on the 29th of August via SharpTone Records. Pre-order and merch links for the EP can be found here.