Slipknot plays with masks. Batushka tries to remain anonymous. And of course Sleep Token is the most recent band that tries to remain mysterious and anonymous while playing with masks. When No Kings Allowed contacted me to let me know that they are at least part Dutch, I kinda wondered why they let me know if they insist on staying anonymous. But to this day I at least have no clue about where these guys are from or who they are. Other than that they are, partly at least, from the Netherlands. Let’s dive into their album and at least figure out if we actually like this band enough to proudly claim them as a Dutch Metalband on MetalFromNL.
No Kings Allowed
Being an anonymous band not much is known about No Kings Allowed. They first showed up in November 2023 with their single The Will Of My God, which is still a favorite of this album for me. Shortly after, in December, they released Getting Along, with a pop-art cover art that reminded me of Marvel comics. Superheroes after all? This single didn’t make it onto the album, however.
Dethroned was released in the beginning of this month on the 8th of March. And I really have to say, I’m blown away by this debut album. The overall quality is really high. As is the quality of this band’s media presence. If you for instance check out their Instagram, it’s a well thought-out image. All the photos and videos have a similar style, gritty, bold, and portraying a raw energy that we would love to see on stage. That’s the same energy that’s heard on the album as well. In an age where media presence is everything, these guys understood the brief well.
Then again, as I said, not much is known. There isn’t a bio, there is no explanation for the album, no lyrics, no origin story. No Kings Allowed just ‘is’. And that is intriguing. So let’s just discuss the music.
About the album
Dethroned consists of no less than 13 tracks, all of which are actual tracks, so no fillers in the 54 minutes of destruction No Kings Allowed brings us. With 13 tracks, I’m not going to discuss them all, so I’ll just discuss some highlights. The opening track No Kings Allowed has an opening sequence, however, so the song doesn’t really start till about 2 minutes in. The guitars are crisp and tight, and the production of the album is on point. The whole album is filled with catchy riffs, aggressive vocals and enough breakdowns and solos to keep it interesting. With various layers of guitars, drums, and the necessary samples, the tracks are well-balanced and performed without flaws. Judging from their video and overall style, No Kings Allowed really does deliver the full package; these guys (or girls?) are more than ready to climb the stage.
The Will Of My God
As I said in the beginning, The Will of My God is still my favorite track of the album. It feels like a party track with the fast riffs and the catchy chorus. We get a glimpse of the electronic influences during the break as well, as well as some nice chuggah chuggah breaks. The break and the part right after are my favorite parts of the track, aside from the chorus. It was smart of No Kings Allowed to release this track first, it’s a great hit to start your musical career with.
Judas Kiss is another one of my favorites. It has a different vibe, since it starts a whole lot slower. It starts off as somewhat of a power ballad, but it’s not long before we head back into up-tempo riffs again. Again, a track layered with catchy riffs and a good balance between moshpit riffs and a slower, more emotive chorus.
Dethroned
Dethroned, which the band released a video for as well, has a bit of the same energy as The Will of My God. Again a memorable riff that will stick to your brain like a fly to honey. It’s something No Kings Allowed does well; interesting, recognizable riffs. It’s hard to write good hooks, and No Kings Allowed has plenty. We get treated with a guitar solo on this track as well. The sweeping start is nice, but it feels like there could have been a little more work put into the solo. We don’t mind though, it’s just a small nit-picky thing to say about an overall great track.
We March starts off with some samples, and features some female vocals on the track as well. It has an epic vibe, and could have been the soundtrack to a movie or game. It shows us another aspect of this band, without losing the aggression and tightness we’ve come to enjoy so far on the album.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes you come across an album that you keep on playing. Dethroned is like that. I’ve played this album at least 20 times before starting this review, and I’m still not tired of hearing it. Two tracks made it to my personal favorites playlist, and that’s certainly not the case with everything I review. Of course, there are some tracks that are ‘just nice’ and not necessarily the best of the album, but overall, this album is of such high quality that I can’t help but wonder who is behind these masks. We will hopefully never find out. I hope the band remains a mystery but will be getting to the stages near us pretty soon!
You can find No Kings Allowed on Facebook.
