Reluctant Hero Explained

Reluctant Hero
Type:Studio
Artist:Killer Be Killed
Cover:Killer Be Killed - Reluctant Hero.png
Released:November 20, 2020
Studio:Hybrid Studios
Length:47:42
Label:Nuclear Blast
Producer:Josh Wilbur
Prev Title:Killer Be Killed
Prev Year:2014

Reluctant Hero is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Killer Be Killed. It was released on November 20, 2020, by Nuclear Blast.[1]

Writing

The band began writing the album in 2016, before going to Hybrid Studios in California in 2018 to record the music. They then finished recording the vocals in 2019.[2]

Cover artwork

In an interview, guitarist Max Cavalera discussed the origins of the album cover:

"I'm really happy with how it came out, because I wasn't happy with the first one. I have a lot of these National Geographic magazines at home, and one had a story about haunted places in America. One of them was this cemetery in Cleveland, which has this really cool statue of an angel with a sword. I thought it would look so badass on an album cover — it almost looks like black metal — so I suggested to our label to find someone to go over and take a picture of the statue."[3]

Singles

On September 4, 2020, Killer Be Killed announced the release of the album, along with the first single "Deconstructing Self-Construction".[1]

The second single "Dream Gone Bad" was released on October 13, 2020.[4]

On November 6, 2020, the third single "Inner Calm from Outer Storms" was released.[5] In a press release, bass guitarist Troy Sanders said the single is "about having the ability to sense a distant or unseen target. It explores a journey of reckless abandon where the destination may, or may not, actually exist."[6] The single also featured on Consequence of Sound's Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2020.[7]

The fourth single, "From a Crowded Wound", was released on November 20, 2020, the same day as the album release.[8]

Critical reception

Reluctant Hero was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 78 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of six reviews.[9]

Max Heilman of Exclaim! said the songs on the release are "elevating poppy ideas with explosive, multilayered musicality and hard-hitting emotion. Reluctant Hero proves metal can be catchy without being stupid."

Accolades

Publications' year-end list appearances for Reluctant Hero!Critic/Publication!List!Rank!Ref
Consequence of SoundTop 30 Metal/Hard Rock Albums of 202021[10]
Kerrang!Top 50 Albums of 202022[11]
LoudwireTop 70 Rock/Metal Albums of 2020N/A[12]
RevolverTop 25 Albums of 20209[13]

Personnel

Killer Be Killed

Additional personnel

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Supergroup Killer Be Killed Announce New Album, Reluctant Hero. Kerrang!. September 4, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  2. Web site: "This Was Just Too Damned Good To Let Go After One Album": Troy Sanders On The Return Of Killer Be Killed. Kerrang!. September 10, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  3. Web site: Killer Be Killed's Max Cavalera Interview. Revolver. Bennett. J.. November 5, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  4. Web site: Watch Killer Be Killed's Intense New Video For Dream Gone Bad. Kerrang!. Carter. Emily. October 13, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  5. Web site: Killer Be Killed Are Teasing A New Single. Kerrang!. Ruskell. Nick. November 3, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  6. Web site: Killer Be Killed Unleash New Song "Inner Calm from Outer Storms". Consequence of Sound. Hadusek. Jon. November 7, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  7. Web site: Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2020. Consequence of Sound. December 12, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  8. Web site: Watch Killed Be Killed's stunning animated video for From A Crowded Wound. Louder Sound. November 20, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  9. Web site: Album of the Year Review. Album of the Year. December 19, 2020.
  10. Web site: Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020. Consequence of Sound. December 9, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  11. Web site: The 50 Greatest Albums of 2020. Kerrang!. December 16, 2020 . December 19, 2020.
  12. Web site: The 70 Best Rock and Metal Albums of 2020. Loudwire. Divita. Joe. November 30, 2020. December 19, 2020.
  13. Web site: 25 Best Albums of 2020. Revolver. Madden. Emma. November 25, 2020. December 19, 2020.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Reluctant Hero".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.