Fit for a King

About Fit for a King

Fit for a King came out of Dallas, Texas in 2007, starting as another band in a crowded metalcore scene that didn't need more bands. But guitarist Bobby Lynge and drummer Jared Easterling had something to prove, and by the time vocalist Ryan Kirby joined in 2008, they'd found their guy. Kirby's voice could switch between crushing lows and desperate screams without feeling like he was just running through a checklist.

Their early stuff was solid but unremarkable. "Descendants" in 2011 showed potential, but it was "Creation/Destruction" in 2013 that made people actually pay attention. The album hit number 68 on the Billboard 200, which for a metalcore band on a smaller label meant something. Songs like "Warpath" had the breakdown heaviness that the genre demanded, but there was also melody buried in there, actual hooks you could remember after the song ended.

"Slave to Nothing" arrived in 2014 and pushed them further. They'd figured out how to write songs that were heavy without being monotonous, melodic without going soft. The title track became a setpiece at their shows, and "Young and Undeserving" showed they could slow things down without losing intensity. They were touring constantly at this point, sharing stages with August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada, becoming a band that other bands respected.

"Deathgrip" in 2016 was where things clicked completely. Produced by Nick Sampson, it was tighter and more focused than anything they'd done before. "Pwnr" became their most-streamed song, combining technical riffing with enough groove to keep your attention. The production was massive without sounding overprocessed, letting the songs breathe even when they were at their heaviest.

They followed it up with "Dark Skies" in 2018, which somehow made them heavier and more accessible at the same time. "The Price of Agony" and "Oblivion" were both brutal and catchy, which shouldn't work but did. By this point they'd signed to Solid State Records and were headlining their own tours instead of always being the support act.

"The Path" in 2020 refined their sound even further. It debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200, their highest chart position yet. Songs like "Breaking the Mirror" and "God of Fire" balanced crushing heaviness with the kind of melodic choruses that made sense in a live setting, when hundreds of people needed something to yell back.

Their most recent album "The Hell We Create" dropped in 2022 and proved they weren't just repeating themselves. The title track and "End (The Other Side)" showed a band still figuring out new ways to be heavy fifteen years in. They're not reinventing metalcore, but they've become one of the most consistent acts in a genre that tends to burn through bands quickly. Still touring, still writing, still relevant.

Their shows are tight and precise, which might sound sterile but isn't—the crowd is fully locked in, and their breakdowns hit harder live than on record. Lots of pit activity without the aggression getting weird. The band itself seems genuinely focused on execution rather than spectacle.

Known for Backburner, The Void, Oxygen, Atticus, Lost in Your Light

See Fit for a King Live