ALBUM REVIEW: Young Guns – All Our Kings Are Dead

Hardly able to resist literally sinking our teeth into this album, the anticipation of what was to behold with releases ‘Sons of Apathy’ and‘Crystal Clear’ providing such a tantalising tease, there was no persuasion needed to listen to the album once, twice, thrice… Repeat.

The lyrical depth throughout the album is carried on waves of collective instrumental talent, whilst the themes within the album are carried through by tales of mortality and God, reality and ignorance, light and dark and a relentless struggle between war, love, seas and mountains. The album is a deep dive into darkness within the heart of this band, with the search resulting in a collision of power driven riffs and musical dives, hunting melodic sounds ready to damn humanity, followed by forceful swarms of instrumental power.

The songs intertwine through relentlessness and resilience throughout, with ‘Son’s of Apathy’ introducing the listener into the world of  Young Guns, whilst the album explores their portrayals of love, the power of war, societies self depletion and death…

Though at times the thought of the reality portrayed feels irrevocably downtrodden, it leaves you a sense of empowerment. The unyielding march yet unpredictability of drum beats, the emotion evoked within the guitar and the bass riffs leave you gritting your teeth in aggregation of Gustav Wood’s conviction within the lyrics. The album progresses with the quality of the songs equally as individual and all worthy of release.

Young Guns artistically alleviate the generic issues and topics of our generation, with the grandeur of the sea, power of the gods and thoughts of our mortality, they have created a style and richness in the quality of this album rarely seen.

If you are awaiting the release of ‘All Our Kings Are Dead‘ on July 12^th be assured it’s worth the wait, be assured it’s powerful and be assured you will have it on once, twice, thrice… Repeat.

9/10

Written By: Catherine Foley

Tags: All Our Kings Are Dead, Fraser Taylor, Gustav Wood, John Taylor, Simon Mitchell, Young Guns