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Listen: UK Metallers The King Is Blind’s Debut EP ‘The Deficiencies of Man’

Fresh from their performance at UK’s Bloodstock Festival, the four-piece band The King is Blind discuss their new EP, which is a mix of sludge, doom, black and death metal

Sep 01, 2014
The King is Blind. Photo: Courtesy of Dewar PR

The King Is Blind. Photo: Courtesy of Dewar PR

The King Is Blind, comprising members of gothic metal bands Cradle of Filth, Entwined and grindcore band Extreme Noise Terror was formed in 2013. With bassist-vocalist Steve Tovey, guitarist Lee James Appleton [both from gothic metal band Entwined], guitarist Paul Ryan [previously from goth/death metallers Cradle of Filth] and drummer Barney Monger [from grindcore/death metal band Extreme Noise Terror], The King is Blind are just one EP old and have already ticked off UK’s revered metal festival Bloodstock off their list last month. Says guitarist Tovey over Skype, “The good thing was there were no nerves. We were confident in our material and in ourselves and just went out there and delivered. The tent just got busier and busier as the set went on.”

According to Tovey, the best part about Bloodstock, in addition to their performance, was also catching Norwegian black metal veterans Emperor perform their debut album In The Nightside Eclipse. Tovey says he was introduced to the album by guitarist Paul Ryan, who had returned from supporting Emperor on tour in 1994. Tovey explains that the King is Blind’s influences are varied, and not a continuation of their goth or death metal allegiances from their previous projects. Says Tovey, “We’re comfortable in our skin and we know what we like. I think the good thing is we’re not a retro band. We mix all the influences we’ve had over the last 25 years and it comes together in one pop, really. It’s a bit of black metal in there, bit of doom, bit of death and bit of trad metal like Iron Maiden ”“ it all comes together.”

The band’s sound on their debut EP, The Deficiencies of Man, which released last week on UK metal label Mordgrimm, definitely aims for fresh ”“ alternating between sludgy, doom riffs and blistering mix of black and death metal. The standout track remains “A Thousand Burning Temples,” which Tovey says was written during their first rehearsal together, “Where we started was a bit more doomier, more spacious but that real tight aggression that Paul and Barney bought really injected pace and power into the sound that we didn’t realize we needed.”

Following their EP release, the band is already working on their full-length album, due early next year. While Tovey mentions that although there are a few UK shows coming up this month, they are concentrating on writing new material. Says Tovey, “We’ve got half the first album written. We still need to finetune it. One thing we’ve made clear is that there will be no self-imposed boundaries.” The King is Blind’s album will be ready in time for their next big festival appearance, at the seventh edition of Hammerfest in March 2015, alongside heavy metallers such as Orange Goblin, Hell and American power metal band Kamelot. The only way to keep producing better music in an already-crowded UK metal scene, according to Tovey, is to never rest on your laurels. Says Tovey, “If we feel we’ve given ourselves a pat on the back, then the album has got to be better.”

Stream The Deficiencies of Man by The King is Blind here

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