Metalville Records has announced October 25th as the international release date for Kings Never Die's highly anticipated second album, The Life & Times.
Following the release of their debut LP, All The Rats, in 2023 and their European tour together with labelmates Dog Eat Dog, Kings Never Die began work on their follow-up album. After drummer Danny Schuler left to return to Bioharzard, Dan Nastasi asked his long-time friend John "Booge" Milnes (Mucky Pup) to help with the recordings.
Nastasi says, "The writing and recording process has been very different for us from the first EPs to All The Rats to now. And this album was no different. We basically had 10-15 new songs in the works. After we got home from tour at the end of November, we decided it was best to start working on a new album right away. I basically locked myself in my home studio for four weeks and got into the writing process, writing new songs and working on ideas we already had. After that me, Evan, and John Milnes rehearsed with the rhythm section for four weeks and then immediately went to Shore Fire Studios in Long Branch, New Jersey to start recording. Three days later, we headed to Pennsylvania to Rock Hard Studios and finished the rest of the guitars and vocals. We drove back to New Jersey and mixed the album."
The result is The Life & Times, and although it is not a concept album, the album is exactly what the title suggests: Side A, the life side, with the title track "The Life & Times" and other songs based on personal stories; Side B, the time side, really reflects on the times we live in and takes a good look at the youth or younger generations and the struggles they may face in the future.
Nastasi: "One thing I've learnt from working with Danny Schuler is that every word you write or every lyric in a song has to have a meaning to you or something that people can relate to. I feel like it really helped me tell a story through the lyrics that I wrote on our last album, but especially on The Life & Times."
Arguably the most important songs on The Life & Times are "Bigger They Come, Harder They Fall", which was originally intended for the previous album. The title track and "Empathy" are also anthem-like tracks with catchy vocals and bounce. "Underdog" was written by Nastasi as a thank you to his late father for his life experiences and in recognition of the drive and ambition he instilled in him.
"Most people think that this album is a return to our original hardcore and punk rock style," says the band, and it's obvious that, vocally, they have returned to a two-singer style, with Gadino and Nastasi sharing vocals.
Kings Never Die is 100% authentic, and it's obvious that the music comes from the heart, both lyrically and emotionally. The Life & Times is clearly the band's greatest achievement to date. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklist:
"The Life & Times"
"Bigger They Come, Harder They Fall"
"Never Let Go"
"Empathy"
"Can I Get A Witness"
"Underdog"
"Kill The Cowards"
"War & Youth"
"The Rights"
"Slow Crawl"
"If God Is Dead"
Line-up:
Dan Nastasi - guitar/vocals (original Mucky Pup / Dog Eat Dog)
Dylan Gadino - vocals
Evan Ivkovich - bass (Wisdom in Chains)
Larry "The Hunter" Nieroda - guitar
Dougie Beans - drums (original Murphy's Law)
