Kingdom Collapse – Survivor
Kingdom Collapse – Survivor
Mascot Records
Release Date: 30/10/2026
Review by Beth Morait
10/10
USA Hard Rock/ Modern Metal band Kingdom Collapse were a new name to me when their sophomore full-length dropped into our inbox, but the numbers in their press release sounded impressive – over 5 million streams of their breakout single ‘Uprise’ and 11 million of their 2022 EP “Unbreakable”. So, I figured I’d give them a listen to see what they were like. Pleasingly, they’re right up my street, and here are my thoughts on this new album.
The premise of this album is the challenges of life, no matter how big or small, that we survive and which shape us as people. And the opening and title track ‘Survivor’ is an uplifting arena-style anthem that delivers this message. It’s good quality Modern Hard Rock, which reminds me of bands like 30 Seconds to Mar, and The Funeral Portrait. Great, singable chorus, a melody line that sounds familiar. Nice track.
But, track 2, ‘Watch You Bleed’ is where it really notches up. This is a real quality track, where the vocals take a more Melodic Metalcore/ Nu Metal twist, which really, really works. Now we’re in Linkin Park but heavier territory, and that pleases me a lot.
Music-wise, every track has great riffs, hooks, and melodies. It’s heavy and crunchy, but it explores different sounds; it’s not all just a repeat of the same musical ideas in a slightly different tempo or key, as can often be the case in this genre. Vocalist and founder Johnathan Norris has a really great, gravelly Rock voice, and he’s pretty damn good at a Metal scream! But the mainstay is always the anthemic choruses.
Now, curveball… I’m sitting here happily listening away and then a track starts that I’m like, ‘Ooh I’ve heard this one before,’ and I start singing along. I know I know it, but something is different… It turns out it’s a cover of Natasha Bedingfield’s 2004 song ‘Unwritten’. I used to work in a bar around that time, and that song was played over and over to death. I hated it with somewhat of a passion!! But Kingdom Collapse’s version is brilliant and instantly made my score a 10! It rocks it up and makes you focus on the lyrics more, rather than cheesy Pop production. And the lyrics actually fit really well with the sentiment behind this album.
No album like this would be complete without a track that people can hold up their phone torches to, and sway emotionally, and that track here is ‘Up In Flames’. Opening with a stripped-back vocal and guitar-driven introduction, it’s still anthemic with a solid beat, but it’s a lot slower and gentler than the rest of the album.
Production-wise, everything is very polished and balanced here. But that’s what the genre demands – it’s clean, radio-friendly, and suitable to have on when you’ve got Gran is round for dinner. But, alongside being a gateway into the heavier side of music, and emotional exploration for the next generation, it’s got plenty to keep old codgers like me happy, as it reminds me of my younger days, but makes me examine my own emotions with the maturity which only comes with age. That, combined with making early-2000s pop sound good, is what’s made me award this album full marks, and what’s earned Kingdom Collapse a new (and I suspect slightly older than their target demographic) fan!
TRACKLISTING:
01. Survivor
02. Watch You Bleed
03. Ripping Out The Heart
04. Victorious
05. Unwritten
06. Burn
07. Who I Am
08. Up In Flames
09. ELEVATE
10. More Than A Memory
11. Save Me From Myself
12. Unbreakable
13. Blue Skies
LINKS:
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