Christian metalcore is becoming quite the popular thing with bands such as Silent Planet and The Devil Wears Prada gaining quite the following, but we can’t forget about the pioneers of the subgenre Fit For a King. It’s been about two years since we got any material from the band and even that album titled Slave to Nothing was very poorly received from their fans due to its lack of stellar breakdowns and intensity and the band took note of this for Deathgrip. Returning to their original sound which was found it albums such as Descendants & Creation/Destruction, the band powers out one of the best records we’ve seen from any genre of music this year. Starting out with a meer 48 second instrumental track titled “The End’s Beginning” to get you back in the groove before immediately powerhousing into “Pissed Off” which shows nothing but complete brutal-ness. “Pissed Off” is easily the weakest track on the record. I don’t know if it’s the lack of originality until the final breakdown or if it’s Tuck’s heavy vocals, which should be left to Kirby. The band said that “Pissed Off” was written about the terrorism happening in the world and how they felt about it, which is completely justified in it’s own way. Once you decide to get over how kinda disappointing that track was and the fact of all songs they chose that one for the band’s first single this record and progress into “Dead Memory” which actually has a guest vocal appearance from Jake Luhrs (August Burns Red) and one of the most stellar breakdowns the band has ever produced alongside the fantastic lyrical content that Kirby is always known for. Luhrs verse also was very well produced and written providing a perfect insight, even for someone who isn’t a very big fan of August Burns Red. Next up was “Cold Room” which is the first track to ever include Kirby doing some clean vocal work and the chorus is sure to be stuck in your head for days upon your first listen. “Cold Room” wasn’t planned for a single release but they put out a short snippet of the track on their social media account and the fans reception turned it into a single that was oddly exclusive to Spotify until album release, which was beyond a pain in the ass. Providing quite a good vibe for a break-up song or even something to do with family and neglect/abuse the song flows amazingly providing for one of my personal favorites on the record, despite its awfully short length. “Disease” is the first new full track you get tossed which feels kinda shallow at certain sections besides the ending which is almost perfect for the transition into the final single “Shadows & Echoes.” If there is one thing you’ll notice about “Disease” it’s that the track feels just like the Fit For a King you’ve come to love over the years, with only the slightest dash of a Slave to Nothing feel found within Tuck’s clean vocals, which aren’t even bad. Once “Shadows and Echoes” kicks off, you’ll be happy to notice everything after this track are completely new material and you’re done dealing with the singles that were released before the full length record, but that doesn’t mean “Shadows and Echoes” isn’t still a masterpiece of a song. Vibrant lyrical melody that we know that the guys in Fit For a King can provide is easily shown between the brutal verses and amazing chorus, plus the same brutal breakdowns we’ve all come to love. “More Than Nameless” is a very fast crushing song that provides a perfect transition into the second half of Deathgrip with some very memorable verses but an easily forgettable chorus where you are greeted by Tucks cleans. The next two songs both “We Are All Lost” and “Unclaimed, Unloved” are very unnecessary and kind of stale in a sense but that didn’t tarnish my love for this record because the last two tracks starting with the absolute brutal nonsense that is “Stacking Bodies” that has a guest feature from Levi Benton (Miss May I.) Absolute chaos is an understatement for the description this track deserves, the entirety of the track feels like a force of about ten thousand bricks smashing you in the face to then be brought to the title and outro track “Deathgrip” which almost seems like a mixture of “Skin and Bones” from Creation/Destruction and “Forever Unbroken” from Slave To Nothing with a perfect vocal harmony from both Kirby and Bobby Lynge.
Archival details
- Original URL
- https://metallifestyle.weebly.com/metal-lifestyle/review-fit-for-a-king-deathgrip
- Recovery source
- live-weebly
- Recovery date
- 2026-07-22
- Stewardship polish
- 2026-07-22
- Preservation status
- restored
- Missing assets
- None recorded
Preserved by Bloodsoaked Media · The Archives