Lightning Strikes – ‘The King Is Victorious’

(BraveWords Records)

There’s something immediately familiar about ‘The King Is Victorious’ the latest offering from Lightning Strikes, and not always in a way that works to its advantage. Sitting somewhere between arena-ready hard rock and mildly theatrical metal, the album feels like it’s reaching for grandeur but often settles for competence instead.

Opening track ‘Fear Of Unknown’ sets the tone with a brooding intro that promises tension but quickly slides into a fairly predictable riff pattern. It’s solid, if unspectacular. ‘Voices In My Head’ follows with a bit more urgency, leaning into a punchier chorus that sticks for a while, though the verses feel like they’ve been assembled from spare parts of better songs.

‘Clash Of Battalions’ tries to ramp things up with a quasi-epic feel, marching drums, layered guitars but never quite commits to the scale it hints at. It’s a recurring issue here: big ideas, modest execution. The title track, ‘The King Is Victorious’ is clearly meant to be the centrepiece. It has the most anthemic aspirations, complete with a singalong chorus, but it lands somewhere in the middle, memorable enough, yet lacking the punch to truly dominate.

‘Aim & Shoot’ injects a bit of straightforward energy, arguably the album’s most immediate track. It doesn’t overthink things, and that works in its favour. Meanwhile, “Lucid Dreams” slows the pace, dipping into a more atmospheric zone. It’s a welcome change, though it drags slightly, as if unsure how long it wants to linger.

‘New Beginning’ attempts a sense of uplift toward the back end, but by this point the album’s palette feels a bit too narrow for the shift to fully resonate. Closer “Masquerade Suite” is the most ambitious piece, stretching out with multiple sections and a more progressive edge. It’s interesting in parts, but also a little disjointed, like several decent ideas stitched together without a clear throughline.

Performance-wise, the band is tight. The guitars are consistently polished, the rhythm section dependable, and the vocals carry a gritty confidence that suits the material. But it’s that word, polished, that ends up being the double-edged sword. Everything sounds right, yet not much feels essential.

In the end, ‘The King Is Victorious’ is a decent listen that rarely dips below average, but just as rarely rises above it. It’s the kind of album you don’t mind having on, but might struggle to remember once it’s over.

6/10

Essential Track – ‘Aim & Shoot’

Review by Woody