REVIEW: Fit For a King – ‘The Hell We Create’

Modern metalcore staples Fit For a King have returned with their seventh full-length record, entitled ‘The Hell We Create’.  It’s their return since 2020’s ‘The Path’, which didn’t feel too long ago. This album dives back into their metalcore roots and back into a more familiar territory with this band after their last record straying more away from it, having it’s strengths and weaknesses that go along with coming back to that sound fully. It’s sure to have /r metalcore users have quite the discussion over this album. I’m one to find their staple sound pretty solid typically, even if it can be repetitive at times on this album.

The title track opens the album with an epic intro that highlights the staple sound as stated before. It really takes me back to the early days of metalcore and you can hear the influence in this track from that era, as will other tracks later on. The chorus feels pretty at home with the song, as it’s a solid one and a good one for an opening track. You can really hear that double bass come through during the breakdown, crisp as it is. It’s followed with “End (The Other Side)”, which feels reminiscent to me of 2018’s “When Everything Means Nothing” to me mood-wise throughout. The lyrics feels quite personal on this track, as it dives into vocalist Ryan Kirby‘s experience with almost losing loved ones and the feelings you go through in something difficult such as that. I also think the guitar work on this track really shines through, as it’s elevated with the production on this record. And I can add that with the powerhouse of a chorus this brings us, something this band continues to improve on. We continue on with “Falling Through the Sky”, which has a more modern rock inspired sound throughout. It reminds me of some of the modern Underoath tracks since their comeback. I find the chorus quite catchy here, and I think Kirby‘s vocals fit this kind of sound. I do appreciate the breakdown here changing it up with the little pauses, instead of following the typical formula of a lot of their other tracks. I feel a song like this feels more improving of the sound they were trying to go for on their last record. 

The record marches on with a more energy-driven track in “Sink Below”, which also has more ‘Dark Skies’ vibes. This song also has that nostalgic feeling of early 2000’s metalcore all over it, I do find it to be a little on the repetitive side of it especially with the breakdown not hitting as hard as it should. We follow up with a real heater of a song, “Reaper” as it was released as the first single from this record. I think Kirby‘s screams throughout this song are definitely him at his peak and showing this track off first was a good idea for that reason alone. I also appreciate some of the glitchy elements during this song, it makes me wonder if there’s unexplored territory they haven’t fully seen yet that I hope they try in the future. The breakdown also is another example of them trying something new, which I also appreciate as it’s still nuts. We reach side B with “Times Like This”, featuring Jonathan Vigil of The Ghost Inside. I do find this song to also dive too much into that familiar territory as mentioned before, but I also think it works better for this song specifically. I think it especially works during the insane breakdown, mixed with Vigil‘s feature as I’d put this as a highlight of the record. It’s certainly a track I see going extra well for them in a live setting. 

The second half of this record really carries a lot, especially with the next track being “Eyes Roll Back”. This might be the heaviest track on this record, as it’s just pure chaos and the bare bones of what I love about this band. It’s bouncy, heavy, and just so much fun. It gave me the feeling I got when I heard 2018’s “Shattered Glass” for the first time. This song feels absolutely relentless and I’d deem this my favorite song on the record. It’s followed by “Fracture”, which feature a more mainstream kind of sound for them. It’s got some pop elements in certain sections of the song, which feel new when it comes to this band but it fits pretty well. The verses transitioning into the chorus feel pretty seamless, and the whole vibe of the song feels like an improved version of a song I Prevail would have on their album. I can totally see this being a big hit for them, and wouldn’t be surprised if they try pushing this song to radio.  We get to the penultimate track, and another melodic track with “Reaching Out”. Opening with bassist and backup vocalist Tuck O’ Leary‘s vocals feels so right. It’s something I had missed on the majority of this record, even though Kirby‘s really come into his own the past few years singing and especially on this track. The chorus really comes through beautifully with Tuck‘s singing and it reminds me of the more melodic tracks from We Came as Romans. I do find the breakdown not needed for this kind of track, as I do wish not every track on this record had a breakdown. The record ends with a real highlight off this record, in “What You Left Behind”. I do appreciate the double bass coming in hot at the beginning of this song, as it’s followed once again by Tuck‘s vocals in the verse. This might have the best chorus overall on this record, it’s quite a memorable among their entire discography if I’m being honest. The buildup during the bridge, followed by the breakdown feel so well earned for this track and it’s a great way to leave off. 

So overall, I do find ‘The Hell We Create’ as an improvement from ‘The Path’ and a decent return to form for them. I do think them relying a bit much at times to something familiar can have it’s downsides, but it still makes for a pretty good listen through. I also think they’ve improved when it comes to writing choruses, continuing to improve as performers, and they continue to deliver when it comes to their heavy elements. I can see this album definitely continuing to cement them as one of the top bands of this genre going forward for years to come. 

Check out the video for “Falling Through the Sky” below.