KINGS WINTER – Edge Of Existence (Album Review)

Kings Winter is a heavy metal band from Germany formed in 2018, releasing their debut E.P. ‘Forging The Cataclysm’ in 2019. The band’s debut album ‘Edge Of Existence’ was released in 2021.

“Dear readers, we are gathered here today, in the sight of Metal-Roos, to witness this man Tobias Dahs, and this woman Jule Dahs, in their band Kings Winter. Not to be listened to quietly, Kings Winter should be listened to loudly, and with passion and pride. And into Kings Winter, these two persons have come together, to perform ‘Edge Of Existence, the band’s debut album”

For these two persons – Tobias and Jule – are a married couple from the German town Konigswinter… And no, there are no prizes for correctly guessing where the bands name comes from! But here’s a fun fact – Konigswinter is twinned with one of the UK’s seaside towns, namely Cleethorpes, in the north of England.

But I’m starting to digress – let me get back to the matter in hand, ‘Edge Of Existence’. Eight songs and forty minutes of heavy metal, hard rock, and a few other influences such as groove and melodic death. The albums title song ‘Edge Of Existence’ is also the albums opening song – a heavy-hitting foot stomper with a frenetic jackhammer style rhythm. Jule’s powerful voice has an amazing range, going from the soaring power metal style all the way to the growls you’d find in melodic death metal. Blending the all-consuming heavy metal style of legends Judas Priest, with the mighty anthemic style, ‘Kingdom Of The Blind’ is a scorching blast of traditional metal the way it should be – heavy, melodic, infectious, and with that all-important headbang ability. And if you were in any doubt at all of what style of metal Kings Winter have to offer – you won’t be now!

With its mellower intro, ‘The Next In Line’ is atmospheric and tension-filled as it gets going, and then with a wham-bam, we’re off and stomping hard once more. ‘The Next In Line’ swings back and forth as it rumbles forward, showing off the power of Jule’s voice once again. Prominent keyboards give life to ‘The Human Dynasty’, before a heavy barrage of metal takes over and we’re raising our fists, stomping our feet, and nodding our heads to a cacophony of ground shaking heavy metal. I don’t know what’s in the water in Konigswinter, but by heck, it’s bred a metal monster – a metal monster that just screams METAL!

Picking up the tempo and injecting more energy, ‘Ghosts In The Machine’ is classic sounding NWOBHM inspired heavy metal of the eighties. Full of thunder the likes of Saxon helped define a genre, ‘Ghosts In The Machine‘ is fairly anthemic and highly melodic – and I reckon, with its sing-along able chorus, that ‘Ghosts In The Machine’ is gonna go down a storm in a live arena. And for the first time, the album gallops into life, with the “foot on the monitor” styled ‘Crusaders Of Today’. The fastest-paced song on the album so far, Kings Winter show a clean pair of heels, matching the fast pace of traditional metal masters ‘Maiden, ‘Priest, and Raven. What a glorious song, and a major highlight on the album. And then boom – we’re in ‘Sabbath inspired doom metal territory, with the booming ‘Dangerous Ascendancy’. The heaviness here is bone snappingly heavy – definitely the heaviest song on the album. And that breakdown two thirds the way through – wow! Bringing the curtain down on the band’s debut album is ‘Discard The Ashes’ – a second gallop that is actually faster and more melodic than the first. The traditional “foot on the monitor” gallop of old school metal is in fine fettle, with Kings Winter delivering a belter to finish.

Overall, a glorious ride through many styles of heavy metal, Kings Winter deliver a glorious variety for a wide array of fans to enjoy.

TracklIst

Living Systems (intro)
Edge Of Existence
Kingdom Of The Blind
The Next In Line
The Human Dynasty
Ghosts In This Machine
Crusaders Of Today
Dangerous Ascendancy
Discard The Ashes

Kings Winter: Facebook

Release Year: 2021
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: Germany

Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, Metal Gods TV, and Metal-Roos.