A couple of years ago, Kings of Mercia released their debut album. And if a collaboration between that involved FM’s Steve Overland and Fates Warning’s Jim Matheos always seemed like it was going to be special, then the self-titled opus was better than anyone dared dream.
Now, proving that all good things don’t need to end, they are back. That’s not even the most important bit either: what matters is that “Battle Scars” is sensational.
The opening song, “Guns and Ammunition,” is the almost perfect welcome to their world. The two men—augmented by Joey Vera (Armored Saint) and Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who)—worked remotely, but there’s such great chemistry.
That’s true of them all, but especially on the likes of “Eye for an Eye.” Look, FM is one of my favourite bands, and I believe that Overland has the finest voice in rock, but hearing him sing songs like this, which are nothing like FM but not a total departure either, is special.
On “Between Two Worlds,” he makes good on these comparisons with Paul Rodgers, but it’s the groovy, energetic “Legend” that is the perfect joining of these worlds.
Fates Warning are not the conventional prog band, but even allowing for that, the way Matheos plays here suggests that he’s relishing the freedom that this has given him.
The title track, on which he finds a haunting line in the lead, and Overland gets to sing one of those ballads he’s so stunning at, is picked out by Matheos as a favorite, and the way they contrast it with the short, sharp hard rock energy of “Don’t Ask” only serves to make it more impressive.
The dark swirl of “Aftermath” is a chance for the rhythm section to take center stage, and the expansive harmonies are as close to prog as this gets.
Matheos is a better guitarist than he ever gets credit for; it’s perhaps typical given that he goes under the radar by design. But he’s capable of making music like the incredible “Hell N Back”—which has an almost irresistible chorus.
“Cold” is likewise a magnificent thing, arena-ready—although given that Overland has never met his bandmates, this is not a touring band. That only serves to make this all the more remarkable.
The acoustics come out for “Angels and Demons,” and it surveys the world with the eye of someone jaded by the whole thing and exhausted by the battle within.
Yet that never sounds the case with the band in general or the album in particular. Instead, like the rest of the songs—albeit this one is a little more epic—it stands as a testament to modern collaboration.
“Everything happens for a reason,” sings Overland on the hook of the last one. There’s a bit of that here. If British journalist Dave Ling hadn’t put the two men in touch, then this band might not have existed.
That would have been a criminal shame, given that “Battle Scars” is arguably better than the debut. That fact alone makes it one of the albums of the year.
Rating: 9.5/10
REVIEW: KINGS OF MERCIA – BATTLE SCARS (2024)
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