Fit For A King

Fit For A King harness the power of their brotherhood in order to perpetually push forward. The music contains traces of the members’ personal and collective experiences grafted onto an ever-evolving sonic palette of metalcore unpredictability, alternative melody, and deathcore brutality laced with electronic alchemy. As trends came and went in the background of the last decade, the quintet— Ryan Kirby [vocals], Bobby Lynge [guitar], Daniel Gailey [guitar], Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary [bass], and Trey Celaya [drums]—have weathered trials and tribulations as well as enduring the chaos of a world constantly influx. They came out of it all stronger than ever, and you can hear that strength and camaraderie loud and clear on their eighth full-length offering, Lonely God [Solid State Records].

“All five of us have our fingerprints on this album,” says Ryan. “We found a way to balance our voices. We’ve always been genuine with the lyrics, and that’s the case again. There’s so much heart behind all of the instrumentation too. There’s definitely a lot of growth because our bond is tighter than ever.” That bond stretches back to 2011 when Fit For A King unleashed their independent debut Descendants.

They continually progressed with Creation/Destruction [2013], Slave to Nothing [2014], Deathgrip [2016], and The Path [2020]. Meanwhile, 2022’s The Hell We Create marked their fifth Top 3 debut on the Billboard Top Christian Albums Chart and third straight Top 15 debut on the Top Album Sales Chart. Outburn applauded how, “With The Hell We Create, Fit For A King takes on a new depth,” and KERRANG! assured, “It hits hard in all the right places.” They’ve impressively garnered just shy of half-a-billion streams fueled by staples like “When Everything Means Nothing,” “The Price of Agony,” “Breaking the Mirror,” and more. Along the way, they also collaborated with the likes of August Burns Red, The Plot In You, The Ghost Inside, and We Came As Romans in addition to packing houses on tour.

During 2024, the guys decamped to Los Angeles to record what would become Lonely God with producer Daniel Braunstein [Spiritbox]. They arrived with the most material they’ve ever had. “It was the longest break we’ve taken between releases, so we had a ton of ideas,” recalls Ryan. “The time allowed us to find everyone’s role. It’s the first record where we all have our stamp. There was no ulterior motive to appeal to radio, social media, or whatever. We went back and listened to Dark Skies, Slave to Nothing, and Creation/Destruction to see where our heads were at. Afterwards, we just cut loose and focused on writing music we loved. There wasn’t any fear; it was all excitement.” Now, they leap forward into the future with the lead single “No Tomorrow.”

Airy melodies materialize out of a soft haze, slipping into the undertow of a chugging guitar groove and coarse screams. It climaxes on an apocalyptically catchy clean chorus, “And if there’s no tomorrow, we’ll dance at the edge of the end and forget about our sorrows.” Ryan says, “It’s a great introduction of what you can expect to hear on the album. All of this talk of ‘World War Three’ makes you think, ‘What would you do if the world was ending? Would you be terrified and let it ruin your last moments with your loved ones? Or, would you accept there’s nothing you can do and hold those you care about closely?’ The song’s about choosing to embrace each other instead of cowering in fear. You’re facing the end together. It goes one step further though. Should you live life as a miserable person who’s always complaining or try to amplify the good and appreciate it? If everyone did the latter, it might improve the state of things.”

The title track “Lonely God” layers breathy vocals over a glitchy beat until neck-snapping verses take hold. He laments, “The world’s on fire, and it’s ticking like a timebomb,” as a pit-splitting riff lands with laser precision. “Tuck wrote ‘Lonely God’ into some of the lyrics, and we ran with it,” he goes on. “In general, Lonely God relates to the pursuit of power. They’re trading companionship, relationships, and love for power and money. You may have all of the power and be a ‘God’, but it’s a lonely spot because the world despises you.” The opener “Begin The Sacrifice” sets the tone with its deft balance of dynamics. Keys pulsate over a trudging stomp, and a towering refrain hypnotizes and haunts uplifted by piano. “It’s got a super powerful chorus,” he notes. “Braunstein pushed me so hard on it. Thematically, you can think of it as a person who’s ready to begin the sacrifice of himself for a greater cause, but there are a million things asking for his attention. It’s not necessarily religion. People are arguing about everything these days. So, it’s easy to end up believing in nothing because you feel overwhelmed.” Cinematic strings swell on “Witness The End,” giving way to a bludgeoning back-and-forth between Ryan and Chris Motionless of Motionless In White. Sidewinder guitars punch and squeal beneath their volley, and a growl booms, “We will welcome the end!” He adds, “We didn’t care what anybody thought; we just wanted to write a deathcore song. It turned out to be really special. Chris did not disappoint either. ‘Witness The End’ offers the most unpredictable experience of any song on Lonely God.

In terms of the lyrics, it was inspired by this NETFLIX miniseries Midnight Mass, which follows an old pastor who claims he experienced a miracle and became an angel, but he was really just bit by a vampire whose blood gave him youth again.” Then, there’s “Shelter.” It illuminates another level of Lonely God, fusing a sky-high hook to a push-and-pull of distortion. It represents the record’s emotional apex. “One of our kids doesn’t live with us anymore,” he sighs. “The song addresses how complicated adoption is. I knew adopting a teenager would be very difficult, but the attachment makes things harder. I willingly chose to give my attention and love to a very difficult situation. I want to help, but the other person needs to be willing to accept my help.”

Ultimately, Fit For A King have delivered an album worthy of their history and bond. “This band is my whole life,” Ryan leaves off. “It’s my hobby. It’s my job. It means everything. These guys are a second family. We’ve traveled the world, and we go through everything together. It’s incredible to do this on a large scale with my best friends.”