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FIT FOR A KING use the tools of heavy music and melodic hooks to honestly explore the dark side of the human experience, ultimately wrenching timeless hope from the jaws of anxiety, depression, and seemingly certain despair.

No matter the pristine picture of self-worth we project, in the unquenchable pursuit of recognition and affirmation, the gnawing anxiousness of guilt and brokenness chews away at our spirits, uncovering new pain and vulnerability. Dark Skies is FIT FOR A KING’s evocative declaration of a hard won victory. “This album is far from happy. It’s about personal struggles,” explains singer Ryan Kirby. “It touches on many subjects relevant to all of our daily lives.”

The music and message of FIT FOR A KING is a battle cry against the darkness. This is a sound that stands in defiance of the mounting pressure of modern life, not through dismissiveness or easy answers, but with earnest struggle. The four young men of FIT FOR A KING are just like the rest of us. They hurt, they bleed, and in that raw transparent authenticity, they offer true solidarity. Beneath the most vicious downpour, they cling to unrelenting grace.

Like trailblazing metalcore giants Underoath and As I Lay Dying before them, FIT FOR A KING skillfully mine the varying extremes of this music, building a catalog that sees them at home on tours with hard rock and deathcore bands alike. The band has traveled the United States and Europe with Vans Warped Tour, Beartooth, Every Time I Die, August Burns Red, The Amity Affliction, Whitechapel, For Today, After The Burial, and Attila to name a few.

Kirby, guitarist Bobby Lynge, drummer Jared Easterling, and bassist/vocalist Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary are easygoing and affable on the road, effortlessly maneuvering within the various social circles with goodwill and charm, without sacrificing an ounce of what they believe or who they are. It’s something the Texas band’s growing following respects. Simply put, FIT FOR A KING is real.

FIT FOR A KING was built with bootstrap ethics and do-it-yourself vigor. On the strength of self-released material, the group joined Solid State for a string of successful albums that connected with the downtrodden and dispossessed. Creation/Destruction (2013) debuted at Number 6 on the Hard Rock chart. Slave to Nothing (2014) cracked the Top 50 of Billboard’s Top Current Albums. Deathgrip (2016) climbed to Number 5 among Hard Rock Albums.
Recorded with celebrated producer/mixer Drew Fulk (I Prevail, Motionless In White, Memphis May Fire), Dark Skies is a collection of diverse anthems powered by the undeniable weight of truth-telling emotional vulnerability.

“Tower of Pain” takes unbridled heaviness to breathtaking heights. “Shattered Glass” is a killer throwback to the band’s most aggressive earlier work. Songs like “Price of Agony” see the quartet soaring to new melodic heights with unrestrained urgency. “Anthem of the Defeated” veers in yet another direction, evoking the percussive power of Slipknot or Mudvayne. Yet all of it is anchored in FIT FOR A KING’s signature sound, one their fans trust.

“Debts of the Soul” is an examination of the sleeplessness that comes with ruminations on the nature of death. “When Everything Means Nothing” is a challenge to unplug from the vapid desperation of putting on a front online. “Oblivion” is one of the most faith-based songs the band has released. The song’s narrator pleads in the chorus, “Tell me I won’t be forgotten.” It’s a reminder of the grace of God and the power of true forgiveness without end.

No matter the political divisions, the staggering alienation arising from our paradoxical and increasingly “connected” world, or the mistakes we all make, FIT FOR A KING offer a foundation of open-mindedness and compassion.

“We're a very transparent band. We aren’t pretending to be something we're not,” says Kirby. “We don't want to act like rock stars and we also don't want to act like we're poor musicians that can barely eat everyday. We don’t portray a false image. We want people to know exactly who we are.”

FIT FOR A KING cherishes unwavering honesty. Even under Dark Skies.
 

Chelsea Grin is an American metal band from Salt Lake City, Utah. Formed in 2007, the group is currently signed to Rise Records and have released two EPs (Chelsea Grin in July 2008, and Evolve in June 2012) and five full-length albums which include Desolation Of Eden, My Damnation, Self Inflicted, Ashes To Ashes, and Eternal Nightmare. The band named themselves after the infamous torture maneuver known as the Glasgow smile or “Chelsea grin”. Chelsea Grin keeps the listener engaged in a unique onslaught of technical and aggressive riffage. Vocally Chelsea Grin dive deep into the inner demons of us all to create a soundtrack that leaves listeners craving more as a way to discover themselves. Chelsea Grin have been featured on a large number of European and American music festivals which include, Vans Warped Tour, Download Festival, With Full Force and many more.

KINGDOM OF GIANTS is poised to soar beyond “best kept secret” status and into the modern metal and post-hardcore stratosphere, with a continuously evolving sound that pushes both the band and their audience forward. While firmly rooted in classic metalcore elements, familiar to fans of Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying or international counterparts like Architects UK and Northlane, the six-piece California band bravely color outside the lines of the safe and predictable.

The only “constant” in the KINGDOM OF GIANTS discography is the constant motion, as the group works tirelessly to ensure each album will take listeners on a rich, rewarding, and diverse journey. “Passenger”, the band’s fourth full-length and first in partnership with SharpTone Records, arrives like a bolt of lightning, heralding a torrential downpour across a desert of cookie-cutter clutter.

The band’s ability to recreate the depth and power of their recorded compositions on the stage has been demonstrated on stages across North America and Europe, as KINGDOM OF GIANTS built a reputation as road dogs on tours with Fit For A King, As I Lay Dying, Born Of Osiris, and Phinehas.

Dana Willax and bassist Jonny Reeves share vocal duties, blending a mixture of scream/sing storytelling drawn from each of their life experiences and emotional obstacles. It’s less of a traditional metalcore screamer / “clean vocalist” pairing and more akin to the tradeoff in bands like blink-182, in spirit and structure if not in sound. The triple guitar attack of Max Bremer, Red Martin, and Julian Perez saves the terrifyingly aggressive technical prowess flourishes for when they’ll have the most impact. They adeptly focus on steady and catchy grooves that lock in place with Reeves and drummer Truman Berlin, whose skills are among the top levels within the genre.

That identity around inventiveness was first forged a handful of years ago in Northern California. The earliest incarnation of the band hit the road before they’d entered a studio. “Ground Culture” (2014) was the first true introduction to the scene. “All the Hell You’ve Got to Spare” (2017) followed. Both records were quickly recognized in the underground press for their deliberate emotional intensity. KINGDOM OF GIANTS is unafraid to tackle tougher subjects within their songs. This is dark, heavy, often “evil” sounding music, but it’s all driven by a sense of optimism and purpose.

“Damaged Goods,” “Endure,” and “Cash Out” quickly became anthems to the ever- expanding group of dedicated followers who’ve proven loyal to the group. But it was with “Bleach,” produced and mixed by Willax himself, that the buzz around KINGDOM OF GIANTS became a deafening roar. The song was the first taste of the group’s fourth album, crafted with up-and-coming engineer Matt Thomas of AshTone Audio, winner of a local Producer of the Year award in Sacramento.

Like the brightest spots of latter day Bring Me The Horizon, “Passenger” is a deft blend of bottom-heavy modern metal and melodic hardcore, with structural nods to smart pop and hip-hop, without sounding confused or incohesive. Perhaps most excitingly, KINGDOM OF GIANTS has found a way to infuse the 12-song album with elements of the 80s inspired synthwave and chillwave movements, popularized by groundbreaking retrofuturistic acts like The Midnight.

There’s something especially powerful and unique about each song, music video, and live performance. Sputnik Music quite rightfully predicted that if the band continues down the creative trail they’ve embarked upon, “they will conquer the metalcore scene with ease.” Capital Chaos TV put it even more simply: “KINGDOM OF GIANTS, if you don’t know about them, you should.”