Mysterious alt. metallers PRESIDENT set out a compelling strategy to win hearts and minds with their enthralling first manifesto…
There’s been a lot to try and take in with PRESIDENT so far. The rubbery, Ronald Reagan-alike visage donned by their masked leader calls to mind ’90s action classic Point Break, but their solemn, statesmanlike schtick is entirely at odds with that story of skydiving bank robbers. Renaming tour cycles as ‘campaign trails’ and their fanbase ‘the electorate’ echoes the electorate-seducing modus operandi long since perfected by Sleep Token and Ghost. And the frenzied interest in which musicians are – or are not – behind it all has distracted some folk from any rocking out.
Fortunately, their actual music is powerfully on point. Given that four of the six songs on King Of Terrors have already been released, listeners will have decided whether the blend of metal heft and post-hardcore crunch with hip-swivelling R&B, ambient electro and earworm alt.pop is for them. Seeing all six tracks stacked up here, however, underlines the soulful power at play, and offers a fabulous chance to digest it all and join the dots of a bigger picture still emerging.
Connecting the baroque opening synths of In The Name Of The Father to the talk of love beyond death on swelling closer Conclave, for instance, you can trace an intriguing spiritual through-line, and begin to ask questions about the separation of church and state. An ethereal standalone release, RAGE becomes a focal point in the context of the songs around it. Dionysus is probably the heaviest track on offer, but between its snarling riffs come choruses full of catharsis and celebration. Even its cataclysmic breakdown feels uplifting.
Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, King Of Terrors is very much a campaign announcement rather than any kind of victory speech. It’s easy to imagine a trajectory where these songs lead to world domination, mind. At a time when the real holder of title continues to pummel his position into farce – UFC White House, anyone? – it’s nice to have a PRESIDENT to actually believe in.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Sleep Token, Dayseeker, Fightstar
King Of Terrors is out now
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