| Dark Skies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 14, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Genre | Metalcore | |||
| Length | 38:28 | |||
| Label | Solid State | |||
| Producer | Drew Fulk | |||
| Fit for a King chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Dark Skies | ||||
| ||||
Dark Skies is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Fit for a King. It was released on September 14, 2018, through Solid State Records and was produced by Drew Fulk. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Dead Press! | 8/10 [3] |
| Indie Vision Music |   [4] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [1] |
| KillYourStereo | 85/100 [5] |
| New Noise |  [6] |
The album was received highly with mostly positive reviews. Carlos Zelaya from Dead Press! rated the album positively but saying: "You pretty much know what you'll get with Fit For A King, but Dark Skies is certainly the sign of a band that haven't forgotten that the word 'metalcore' contains 'metal'." [3] Indie Vision Music stated that "Fit For A King continues to carve out a piece of metal history for themselves with this impressive album because they really did cover all the bases of what a metal album can bring: brutally heavy, melodic, thrashy, emotional lyrics that range across many topics, and two vocalists who compliment each other endlessly. Dark Skies will be playing in many playlists and shuffles with good reason." [4] Jesus Freak Hideout rated the album 4 out of 5 and said: "Dark Skies may be Fit for a King's fifth studio record, but the energy, passion, and enthusiasm these men have for their craft and ministry has not changed since they entered the scene with Descendants . Despite a couple of minor shortcomings, Dark Skies proves that the band can still hold their own and belt out some earth-shattering tunes while they're at it." [1]
Megan Langley from KillYourStereo gave the album 85 out of 100 and said: "As you can tell, I absolutely loved this new Fit For A King record. It brought quite a bit of variety more than the band's other works, which makes it stand out even more. Especially in the current metalcore scene, I feel. The band brought so many solid, memorable moments throughout all ten of these tracks; providing some incredible performances and a near-perfect mix of aggressive and melodic elements too. Metalcore fan, a Fit For A King fan, or just a lover of heavy music, you gotta check this one out!" [5] New Noise gave the album 3.5 out of 5 and stated: "Nevertheless, Fit for a King have provided another bounty of glorious metalcore with Dark Skies, and fans are likely to rejoice the product; it certainly has power." [6] Stitched Sound praised the album saying, "Throughout the album, the perspective shifts as time passes and they come to a point of self realization and solace." [7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Engraved" | 4:56 |
| 2. | "The Price of Agony" | 4:47 |
| 3. | "Backbreaker" | 2:50 |
| 4. | "Anthem of the Defeated" | 2:37 |
| 5. | "When Everything Means Nothing" | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Youth | Division" | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Shattered Glass" | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Tower of Pain" | 4:29 |
| 9. | "Debts of the Soul" | 2:38 |
| 10. | "Oblivion" | 4:26 |
| Total length: | 38:28 | |
Credits adapted from AllMusic. [8]
Fit for a King
Additional personnel
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [9] | 69 |
| US Christian Albums (Billboard) [10] | 2 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [11] | 3 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [12] | 6 |
Metalcore is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, slow, intense passages conducive to moshing. Other defining instrumental qualities include heavy riffs and stop-start rhythm guitar playing, occasional blast beats, and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically use thrash or scream vocals. Some later metalcore bands combine this with clean singing, often during the chorus. Death growls and gang vocals are common. 1990s metalcore bands were inspired by hardcore while later metalcore bands were inspired by melodic death metal bands like At the Gates and In Flames.
Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore breakdowns. While there are some precursors to the concept of death metal fused with metalcore/hardcore elements seen in the 1990s, deathcore itself emerged in the early 2000s and gained most prominence beginning in the mid-2000s within the southwestern United States, especially Arizona and inland southern California, which are home to many notable bands and various festivals.
Melodic metalcore is a fusion genre, incorporating elements of melodic death metal and metalcore; it has a heavy emphasis on melodic instrumentation, distorted guitar tones, palm muting, double bass drumming, blast beats, metalcore-stylized breakdowns, aggressive screaming, death growls, and clean singing. The genre has seen commercial success for employing a more accessible sound at times compared to other forms of extreme music. Many notable melodic metalcore bands have been influenced by At the Gates and In Flames.
Wrongdoers is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Norma Jean. The album was released on August 6, 2013, and is the band's second release through Razor & Tie. It is the first album to feature guitarist Jeff Hickey, bassist John Finnegan and drummer Clayton Holyoak. Wrongdoers garnered critical acclamation by music critics at such publications as Alternative Press, Decibel, Exclaim! and Revolver Magazine, and sold 8,340 copies in its first week.
Fit for a King, also known as FFAK, is an American metalcore band from Tyler, Texas formed in 2007. The band comprises guitarists Bobby Lynge and Daniel Gailey, vocalist Ryan Kirby, bassist Ryan "Tuck" O'Leary, and drummer Trey Celaya. They released two independent EPs entitled Fit for a King in 2008 and Awaken the Vesper in 2009. They also released one independent album, Descendants, in 2011. After the band signed to Solid State Records, they released five studio albums through this label: Creation/Destruction (2013), Slave to Nothing (2014), Deathgrip (2016), Dark Skies (2018), The Path (2020) and The Hell We Create, which was released on October 28, 2022.
Creation/Destruction is the second studio album by American metalcore band Fit for a King. It was released on March 12, 2013, through Solid State Records and was produced by Andreas Magnusson. The album attracted both commercial successes and positive criticism.
Descendants is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Fit for a King. It was released on September 23, 2011, independently by the band and was produced by Cameron Mizell. The album was re-released on November 25, 2013, through Solid State Records and was produced by Andreas Magnusson. The re-release has new tracklist, all written and performed by the band including a new artwork.
Silent Planet is an American metalcore band formed in Azusa, California, in 2009. Their name is derived from C. S. Lewis' science fiction novel Out of the Silent Planet. The group consists of vocalist Garrett Russell, guitarist Mitchell Stark, bassist Thomas Freckleton and drummer Alex Camarena. They are currently signed to Solid State Records and have released four studio albums. Their latest studio album, Iridescent, was released on November 12, 2021.
Supreme Chaos is the seventh album by American Christian metalcore band War of Ages, released through Facedown Records July 22, 2014. War of Ages worked with Joshua Barber on the production of the album.
Slave to Nothing is the third studio album by American metalcore band Fit for a King. It was released on October 14, 2014, through Solid State Records and was produced by Will Putney.
Deathgrip is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Fit for a King. It was released on October 7, 2016, through Solid State Records. It was produced by Nick Sampson and Bobby Lynge.
Retrograde is the third studio album by American metalcore band Crown the Empire. It was released on July 22, 2016, through Rise Records and was produced by Drew Fulk. The album debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200. This is the first album the band released without lead guitarist Benn Suede, as well as the last album before co-lead vocalist Dave Escamilla left the band in January 2017.
The Silver Scream is the fifth album by the American heavy metal band Ice Nine Kills, released on October 5, 2018 by Fearless Records. Much like their previous album where all tracks were inspired by different novels, all the tracks are inspired by horror films. Some examples of the source material are; A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ("Savages"). The album features guest appearances by the band's former singer Jeremy Schwartz, Tony Lovato of Mest, actress Chelsea Talmadge, Randy Strohmeyer of Finch, Buddy Schaub and "JR" Wasilewski of Less Than Jake, Will Salazar of Fenix TX, and Stanley Kubrick's grandson Sam Kubrick of the UK band Shields. The album marked their highest chart positions in the US, debuting at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Hard Rock Albums chart. "A Grave Mistake" became the band's first top ten hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. This is the final album to feature guitarist and vocalist Justin DeBlieck, as well as bassist Justin Morrow, who departed from the band in March 2019 to join Motionless in White.
Broken is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Memphis May Fire. It was released on November 16, 2018, on Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to the band's fifth studio album, This Light I Hold (2016). It is the group's first studio album since 2011's The Hollow to not feature guitarist Anthony Sepe since his departure in 2017. The album as produced by Kane Churko, the band's guitarist Kellen McGregor, and Drew Fulk and was recorded at The Hideout Studios.
Disguise is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Motionless in White. It was released on June 7, 2019, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Drew Fulk and Chris "Motionless" Cerulli. It is the second release on a major label since the band's departure from Fearless Records. The album's tracklist was revealed on April 17 together with the release of the two singles, "Disguise", which had been premiered at Earthday Birthday in Orlando a few days prior, and "Brand New Numb". It is the band's first album with Vinny Mauro on drums and former Ice Nine Kills guitarist Justin Morrow, who replaced Devin "Ghost" Sola on bass guitar, as well as the first album not to feature Josh Balz on keyboards.
Mother is the seventh studio album by American rock band In This Moment. It was released on March 27, 2020, by Atlantic Records and Roadrunner Records and was produced by Kevin Churko and Kane Churko.
When the End Began is the third studio album by American metalcore band Silent Planet. The album was released on November 2, 2018, through UNFD and Solid State Records. It was co-produced by Will Putney and Spencer Keene. This is the first album to feature Mitchell Stark as the only guitarist.
The Path is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Fit for a King. It was released on September 18, 2020, through Solid State Records and was produced by Drew Fulk. It is the band's first release with guitarist Daniel Gailey. It is also the last album to feature the band's founding drummer Jared Easterling before he left the band in December 2021.
Scoring the End of the World is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Motionless in White. It was released on June 10, 2022, through Roadrunner Records. The album was produced by Drew Fulk and Justin DeBlieck. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Vinny Mauro and bassist Justin Morrow performing on the release.
The Hell We Create is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band Fit for a King. It was released on October 28, 2022, through Solid State Records and was produced by Drew Fulk. It is the band's first release with drummer Trey Celaya.
