Holy not-what-I-expected Batman. Given the names of the artist, album, tracks etc involved, influences listed, I expected many things from this album, but pretty, gentle, fairly well-executed close harmony straight out of the gate was definitely not on that list. It’s pretty much gone before you’ve really had chance to enjoy it, and sadly there’s no more in that vein, but it was a pleasant surprise to kick off this album. Things I did expect from this album include stirring tunes about ancient kings and battles, and some heavy Tolkien influences across the board – the band’s name is taken from The Lord of the Rings, where Denethor declares that he and Faramir will “burn like the heathen kings of old” – but more about that later.
Now, getting into the bulk of this album, I have only this to say: if you like a bit of Maiden, especially the more folkloric/occult-ish end of Maiden, you won’t go far wrong with this album. The bio that was sent with this album refers to Heathen Kings doing their thing under “the watchful eyes of the old gods such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath”, and they’re really not kidding. They’re also a relatively new four piece from the wilds of Suffolk, formed in 2021, but huge swathes of this album have more in common with 1980’s Maiden than anything that happened this century. The Sabbath and Priest influences are a little subtler, but still very much front and centre. Beyond the three patron saints of classic metal listed here, you can pick basically any band making Maiden-esque classic heavy metal, free of anything that might be called crossover appeal, and the comparison will almost certainly fit. There is a Middle Earth element here as mentioned above, but it’s strictly in the lyrical content – I am the Hammer has some minor Ensiferum vibes, but this is not a folk or fantasy metal album.
For the most part, Fealty To None sticks pretty consistently to the above formula, to the point where I can almost see our dearly beloved Brucie gesticulating wildly along with some of the more emphatic passages. Not to mention the audience, who I can picture just as vividly, consisting almost entirely of older men wearing lots of leather, lovingly preserved band t-shirts that are older than I am (38, FYI), and patch-laden battle jackets that have – fittingly – been through the wars. I’ve seen and been in such crowds many times over the years – notably the first time I saw Maiden themselves at Download 2007, from halfway up the Download Hill (if you know, you know) – and it all comes so very easily to mind, because this flavour of classic heavy metal, and the demographic that adores it above all others, is essentially a genre and a subculture in its own right at this point, and has been for a long time.
All of the above said however, I should also stress that – possibly stating the bleeding obvious here – Heathen Kings are not Iron Maiden. They’re working in very much the same vein, and there’s nothing wrong with it for the most part, but you’re not going to get Rob or Brucie’s 4+ octave ranges or Ozzy-style shenanigans here. It’s respectable, mostly enjoyable heavy metal, but there’s nothing here that’s going to change your life. And in fairness, I don’t think Heathen Kings are trying to change anyone’s lives. It’s a fun album to listen to, and they’d probably be good fun live, but that’s about it.
The main problem here is Heathen Kings’ obvious unwillingness to deviate from the recipe they’ve come up with. There are a few things that don’t fit the template, such as The Pass of Cirith Ungol, which sounds like it’s from a different album entirely, and She’s Alive aims for something livelier and closer to power metal, but it doesn’t quite land. However, for the most part there’s a formula, and Heathen Kings are sticking to it – even when they really, really shouldn’t.
At this point I should probably make it clear that I’m a lifelong Tolkien nerd – literally raised on it, by parents who already had a long history of Tolkien nerdery by the time I came along. And I’m generally not precious or purist about it: I maintain that Peter Jackson improved the storyline of The Two Towers in the film version for instance, and honestly people can do what they want with Tolkien for the most part, no skin off my nose and all that. That said, track 10 of Fealty To None bothers me, in a way that only dyed-in-the-wool nerds can be bothered by things: it’s a track about Denethor’s descent into madness while Faramir is apparently dead, and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields rages outside. It’s one of the bleakest, most depressing things that Tolkien ever wrote – the complete mental collapse of a proud man from an exemplary line of stewards, in the face of the apparent death of his one remaining (and chronically underappreciated) son, with what looks like certain annihilation at the gate. Pippin’s painfully divided loyalties, and Gandalf having command thrust upon him unwillingly, as Denethor burns himself alive “like heathen kings of old”, is a really fucking miserable bit of the story. When I saw “A Song for Denethor” on the track list, I thought this was going to be a play on the song in the films, where Billy Boyd’s Pippin sings falteringly for a rapidly unravelling Denethor, and/or a folky lament befitting the subject matter.
It’s neither. It’s in exactly the same vein as the rest of the album, complete with “We will burn like the heathen kings” belted out repeatedly with much gusto. If there was any point on this album that Heathen Kings needed to step away from the formula they’ve working from, A Song for Denethor was it, and the fact that they haven’t makes me wonder how able they actually are to do so. This point is particularly salient given that Heathen Kings have literally taken their name from Denethor’s words, so presumably they know the awful context in which those words are spoken.
So there it is, as old school heavy metal goes, it’s fine. If you like that sort of thing, you’ll almost certainly enjoy Fealty To None. There’s nothing massively wrong with it, and it’s enjoyable enough to listen to. But if you’re looking for anything beyond that, or expecting any sort of musical variety, you won’t find it here. And if you’re a Middle Earth nerd, I suspect A Song for Denethor will annoy you as much as it annoyed me.
(5/10 Ellie)
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