Kings of Mercia's 'Battle Scars' - Album Review

Whenever a new collaborative project releases a debut album, it is often unclear whether those involved are in it for the long term or not. Some projects are only ever supposed to be one-off, lightning-in-a-bottle moments which see established musicians coming together briefly before going back to their main bands - whereas others take on a life of their own and grow into something more substantial. Whilst I am not sure that Kings of Mercia fall into the latter category, they have certainly transcended the former. Kings of Mercia are, of course, a collaboration between melodic rock vocalist Steve Overland and progressive metal guitarist Jim Matheos - which launched back in 2022 with a solid self-titled debut album (which I reviewed here). If you had asked me which two musicians that feature heavily in my music collection would collaborate unexpectedly back in 2022 it would have taken me a very long time to give Overland and Matheos as an answer - but Kings of Mercia showed that there was legs in project. The end product ended up being closer to Overland's typical sound than Matheos', but the album could well be the toughest thing that Overland has sang on to date - with Kings of Mercia being much more of a genuine hard rock album than anything FM have done in the past. I cannot say that I am familiar with much of Overland's solo work or any of his other projects outside of FM, but I imagine that they are all of a type - with Kings of Mercia being the odd one out. Considering Matheos' history in progressive metal, too, Kings of Mercia is a much more straight ahead band for him. Miles away from the knotty, anthemic metal of Fates Warning's early days and the more atmospheric, emotional sound that they tackled towards the end - Kings of Mercia sees Matheos letting his hair down and rocking out somewhat, with riffs straight out of the 1970s and 1980s. As such, the 2022 album was something of a change of pace for both musicians, then, but given Overland's perfectly preserved voice it was always going to have an AOR sheen. There was a lack of keyboards throughout, though, and there was a rawness to the album despite the smoothness of Overland's voice - which allowed him to showcase a bit more of a bluesier approach at times. He is certainly apt at aping singers like Paul Rodgers when he wants to and Kings of Mercia was an opportunity to do so. It is clear that Kings of Mercia have no intentions to be a live act, but clearly Overland and Matheos thought that there was more in the band's tank - and back in October they released their second album Battle Scars. Style-wise, the latest album picks up exactly where the last one left off. There are no real surprises here, with the album essentially being more of the same. Overland shines as always vocally, and he is always going to be a highlight on whatever album he sings on, whilst Matheos' guitar playing is crunchy and full of character. Joining the duo again on Battle Scars, too, is bassist Joey Vera and drummer Simon Phillips - ensuring consistency between the two albums.

This is very much feel-good but muscular rock music, then, and the anthemic opening track Guns and Ammunition highlights this vibe from the off. The opening barrelling guitar riff is interspersed with bluesy guitar leads, which set the tone nicely, before a slightly longer than expected instrumental section allows a groovy riff to really bed in. The rhythm section always ground the album's songs nicely without ever overplaying, whilst Matheos constantly reaches into the classic rock past for riff ideas. The verses here are very much out of the 1970s, despite Overland's smooth vocal delivery, whilst the chorus feels a little more AOR-inspired despite a toughness remaining. Vera's bass is high in the mix, his rumbling basslines keeping the song moving, whilst the UFO-esque crunch of the verses allows Overland to feel bluesier than usual despite a few higher notes. There is a pleasing groove and strut throughout the song, then, and this extends to the anthemic chorus - which is one of the album's most memorable moments. Phillips' ride cymbal work really leaps out of the speakers, keeping the chorus ticking, whilst Overland's big vocal hooks are sure to sink into the brain. Matheos then builds on some of the bluesy leads of earlier during a lengthy solo section which starts off slowly and speeds up - before a final reprise of the chorus brings things to a close. Eye for an Eye is similar, although the pace is perhaps slowed down a little - giving the song a real mid-paced and hard rocking crunch. Whilst a bluesier sound was flirted with during the opening track, it is doubled down on here - particularly during the verses which are very much Bad Company inspired. The chorus is more typical, with Overland's big vocal hooks shining and some inventive bass drum work from Phillips adding colour, but the verses have a real snaking strut to them - which sees Overland singing in a slightly lower register than is usual for him to allow bluesy vibes to really seep through. He utilises such a style with FM occasionally, but throughout this album it is something which he gets to showcase a bit more - and the verses here are really memorable thanks to his sultry tones, before the chorus explodes and feels bigger in comparison. Matheos also expands on the song's blues feel via his guitar solo, which is less busy than the previous one - but it is full of character. Between Two Worlds opens with a tougher-sounding guitar riff, which lays down a few stabs alone before the rest of the band join in. The pace is slowed down again here, and the blues vibes are increased further. Each track so far has become bluesier, then, and I like the journey that the album takes early on. The stabbing riff and the occasional bluesy guitar leads are really memorable - and the ZZ Top-esque groove conjured up by the rhythm section is dependable and infectious. Overland adds some light, though. He maintains his blues feel from the last song but he also injects some of his usual sense of melody into this performance - with the more expansive chorus feeling a bit more cinematic given the chug of the rest of the track. Matheos' solo is surprisingly light, too, given his heavier riffing - but it is quite short to ensure that the riffing is not away for too long.

Legend ups the pace following the gradual slowdown which had been happening up to this point - and the track is a pacy hard rocker with a Led Zeppelin-esque opening riff and a stop-start verse which allows Overland to really dig in and lay down a dynamic vocal performance. Most of FM's songs are mid-paced AOR anthems, so he does not get to sing faster rockers all that often - and he sounds great here, with a slight gritty edge to his voice shining through. This suits the song's slightly heavier vibe and there is plenty of punch in Phillips' drumming to help it sound big. Occasional cutting guitar leads are thrown in, but mostly this is another pretty riffy track - with the verses built on the aforementioned stop-start groove. There are larger-sounding sections, such as a smoother bridge which later gives way to a busy solo, but generally the song is more guitar driven and influenced by 1970s hard rock. The title track follows and it slows the pace down quite considerably - acting as the album's ballad. Subtle percussion opens up the track, before murky clean guitars create a dark-sounding backing - over which Matheos lays down some cutting leads. Overland has been singing ballads in his sleep for years, so his performance here is as smooth and emotional as ever. The verses see him essentially just backed by the clean guitars and percussion, whilst the first chorus, which is also stripped down, feature a few subtle vocal harmonies as a point of difference. The song does grow in stature as it moves forward, with later verses featuring more of a proper drum beat and some bass depth - and the guitar tone takes a slightly brighter overall feel. The second chorus returns to a more mellow vibe, though, with very little backing Overland's voice - before the band crash in in a bigger way for a guitar-led instrumental section which features subtle bluesy guitar melodies and repeated vocal melodies from Overland to bring the song to a close. Don't Ask ups the pace again quite considerably, and it is easily the toughest piece on the album up to this point. It is another pretty fast paced rocker and everything here is driven by the chug of the guitars and the propelling groove of the rhythm section. There is no big standout riff of similar here, with the track just being a real headbanger with something of a NWOBHM chug and a few cutting guitar leads and short solos. Vocally it is perhaps not as memorable as some of the other cuts here, though. The chorus is decent, with something of a call-and-response approach taken - but it is perhaps not as anthemic as it could be - and a snappier chorus may have worked better given the energetic approach taken. Aftermath opens with an atmospheric swell which gives way to some pulsing guitar melodies mixed into the background - over which Vera's bass really rumbles. The opening moments do not sound like anything else on the album, and it is interesting to hear such a bass-heavy song in the context of an album like this. Vera's playing is all over this song, even when the guitars kick in more later on, and arrangement-wise it shows that the band are not just about one thing. Overland's voice works well against the bass-heavy backing early on - and the contrast between the slower verses and the heavier chorus works well, with brash guitars joining in as Overland belts out the anthemic chorus.

Hell 'n' Back is another pretty upbeat rocker, but it opens gradually with some big bass swells from Vera and busy drumming from Phillips - which Matheos noodles over before launching into a meaty riff and the song gets going proper. It follows a similar pattern to Guns and Ammunition from this point on, with the track being another strong bluesy hard rocker with a melodic rock influenced chorus. The chorus is another very memorable one, and another contender for the album's best possibly, whilst the tougher verses allow for some more of Overland's bluesy vocals. Matheos' guitar solo is another blues-fest, too, but it is perhaps not as long as it could have been. I would have liked it if he had really cut loose here - but that has never really been his style - even with Fates Warning. The solo is tasteful, though, and it is fast enough to fit in with the song's hard rocking overall style and the big drum grooves which Phillips lays down. Cold is another song which opens with Matheos' guitar alone, as he lays down a pretty simple guitar chug early on - over which a busier riff is then laid before the rest of the band crash in and the song turns into a pretty mid-paced and groovy rocker. The energy of the previous song is more tempered this time, but the bluesy vibes of some of the early mid-paced tracks are not really present this time. Instead, the song overall feels a bit more melodic rock influenced - and there is more of Overland's day job here than is typical of the rest of the album. There is still a toughness throughout, but the more liberal use of vocal harmonies just makes the song feel and sound bigger overall. This is very much a showcase piece for Overland, then, and he displays throughout the piece why he remains one of the very best rock vocalists in the world. The verses and the chorus are both hooky, with lush harmonies despite the crunch, and Matheos' brief guitar solo is in a similar vein. The album then comes to a close with Angels & Demons - which opens with busy acoustic guitar lines, over which some emotional acoustic guitar melodies are laid. There has not been a big acoustic guitar presence on the album up to this point, but the layers of such create an interesting sound early on - and Overland sings over them in his usual emotional manner, even if there are some strange effects on his voice early on. The song is set up to be something of a ballad, then, and it is a slower track, but it feels a bit more strident and anthemic than most ballads - as when the band crash in there is a real weight to the proceedings despite the slow pace early on. The song is not consistently slow, either, as it does speed up quite considerably part way through - upping the pace and heaviness quite a bit and going for a chugging, mid-paced sound with some really big vocal hooks from Overland. He lets rip in particular during the chorus, which is packed full of shimmering vocal harmonies, and the track is one of the album's most epic moments as a result - which is fitting as it closes things out. Whilst Battle Scars is not all that much different from Kings of Mercia's debut album, it builds on the sound of the first album nicely and offers up more of the same. The songwriting is strong throughout and I never tire of hearing Overland sing. Matheos showcases his bluesy side, too, and overall the album is an unpretentious and old-school bluesy hard rock album with a touch of AOR occasionally - and such a sound never really goes out of fashion.

The album was released on 25th October 2024 via Metal Blade Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Battle Scars.