Fit For A King Speaks to The Hell We Create

By Phil Hawkins

Trauma and tragedy often transfer from one generation to the next. As difficult as it can often be, the power to break the cycle and start anew is within each and every one of us. Stemming from events that occurred during the pandemic, The Hell We Create was birthed and is by far the deepest and most personal record the band has ever written.

Fit For A King is not new to the game and they have made a name for themselves in the metalcore genre since their debut on Solid State Records nearly a decade ago. With their signature style being rooted in hardcore and metal uplifted often by hypnotic hooks there is a more melodic approach on The Hell We Create. However, that doesn’t mean that the ferocity we’ve come to expect from FFAK is missing. Where The Path built on a more expansive and diverse sound The Hell We Create expands upon it creating an introspective masterpiece of sorts.

The album explosively opens with the title track, “The Hell We Create” which sets a sharp standard for the album going forward. This is classic FFAK at their finest. Firing on all cylinders and holding no punches musically, lyrically and vocally. There is an underlying theme that is clearly present as the album’s title speaks to how we all have our own personal “Hell” that we endure and often create through varied life experiences whether it be physically or mentally. “End (The Other Side)” follows and is a full on musical assault of riffs that are offset by squealing leads, rapid fire double bass and some pitch harmonics for good measure. Vocalist Ryan Kirby wrote the song about his wife who suffered a stroke and he had the realization that he was not mentally or physically ready to handle a loss of such magnitude.

The album down shifts slightly with “Falling Through the Sky” which continues [Ryan] Kirby’s narrative journey of the potential of losing his wife. He states, “It was about me coping with the idea of losing her. I grew up in church. I’m still a Christian. Everything made me realize how ill-equipped I was to deal with true tragedy even with all of the scripture I’d read. Once I looked the beast in the eye, it fell apart. I needed to use those tools to deal with these demons instead of ignoring them.” It is followed by “Sink Below” which is another track with a classic FFAK feel to it that fits perfectly in the overall construct of the album thus far. “Reaper,” the album’s lead single, closes out the first half of the album while working as a bridge of sorts to the second half of the album.

“Times Like This,” which Jonathan Vigil of The Ghost Inside, sees he and Kirby trading vocals creating an interesting dynamic on the track that also includes an underlying gang chant. The guitar work is remarkably intricate that helps create a larger than life atmospherically layered track. “Eyes Roll Back” is a raw and heavy track that showcases some very deep and guttural growls with some light electronic elements mixed in throughout the track both musically and vocally. “Fracture” follows suit and feels to be the most “accessible” track on the album and could possibly be considered a crossover hit if the band wished to pursue a more mainstream venture.

The album begins to draw to a close with “Reaching Out” which is a much more melodic track than most have come to expect from FFAK, but it fits well in the overall construct of the album creating a bit of a contrast and diversifies the album from being just another heavy metalcore album. As the final track “What You Left Behind” takes everything from the album and brings it to a head in both theme and narrative. Within in that narrative of us all walking through our own personal “Hell” we endure and we fight. Sometimes those fights are alone, but we hold out hope that we are not alone in our fights and struggles.

The Hell We Create is another fine addition to Fit For A King’s impressive discography as they continue to expand their signature sound and touch on lyrical and thematic elements that are very much in the forefront in today’s society. Their approach is authentic and keeps things from coming across as stale or generic.

The Hell We Create is available now on major streaming outlets as digitals retailers. Physical copies can be ordered here.