genres: post-hardcore + metalcore
for fans of: blessthefall, We Came As Romans, Crown The Empire
Self-styled as “fastasy-core”, The Wise Man’s Fear offer a playful return to the golden era of 2010s post-hardcore/metalcore that packs more than a few surprises. Valley of Kings is an album that knows exactly what it is – heavy verses, poppy choruses, a smattering of brutal breakdowns – but also knows when to subvert listeners expectations. Following in the line of their now three full lengths, The Wise Man’s Fear continues their journey through an allegorical story set in a fantasy realm, dialing back the atmospheric elements of 2017’s The Lost City in favor of an approach that lets their vocal talents soar.
Both vocalists for the band truly are at the peak of their genre. The clean vocals alternate between effortlessly nailing high notes and settling into a clearly R&B influenced rhythmic mid-range while the unclean vocals range from deep growls to high pitched shrieks. Despite taking a backseat to the vocal performance, the instrumentals are far removed from the simple chugs that filled many earlier exemplars of the genre. “The Tree of Life” offers an early highlight as the vocalists trade parts outside the dictates of the song’s structure over deceptively complex guitar lines that weave together with spots of silence to create constant momentum. At the other end of the spectrum, second to last song “Firefall” offers an entirely heavy performance featuring an appearance by Make Them Suffer that ranks among the heaviest tracks of 2020 and is essentially a three minute breakdown.
Lyrically is another space the band sets themselves apart from their peers. Each character in the story is based on a philosophy from the branches of existentialism (absurdism, nihilism, atheistic-existentialism, theistic-existentialism), and how those philosophies would play out in a magical world. Drawing on literary parables from Plato to Jules Verne in addition to the Christian allegorical tradition for the narrative direction, the band again shows a comfortability in crossing concepts by blending those deep canonical cuts with pop-culture and video game references. Simultaneously deeply intelligent and committed to celebrating the fun of their genre and personal interests, Valley of Kings offers an album perfect for those who grew up on poppy metalcore but now want more substance.
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