Reign of Glory was born in 2021 when bassist Roger Dale Martin (Vengeance Rising, Once Dead, Die Happy) and guitarist Nick Layton (FireWolfe, Q5) partnered up writing material for a classic metal album with a message of hope and faith in these trying times. They had just released Roxology, a metal instrumental album of hymns, earlier in the year and were eager to do something with a full band replete with singer. Through a happenstance Die Happy reunion interview on Sanctuary International, they got in contact with vocalist Robyn Kyle Basuari (Die Happy, Red Sea). To round out the band in the rhythm seat is Jim Chaffin (The Crucified, Deliverance, The Blamed).
All Will Bow is a solid album that gives a nod to the 80s with a modern execution. The ten songs on the album provide enough variety for this reviewer to enjoy without being bored. The core of RoG’s sound is a solid rhythm section, melodic guitars, and a quite capable vocalist singing on top.
First thing I liked about the album is the musical variety. “Forever and Ever” starts out with a somewhat thrash metal riff that sounded close to Megadeth’s “High Speed Dirt.” But once the drums and bass come in, it calms down a bit, but still quite metal. “Welcome to Reality” is a mid-tempo grooving rock tune that kept my foot tapping. “Samson’s Kryptonite” had RoG move into a bluesy southern rock territory and we have the requisite ballad in “Love Came to Die.” And that was just the first half of the album.
Although there was good musical variety, the form of the songs was almost entirely uniform. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, and then back to chorus. Rinse and repeat. They do a good job of making each of the parts interesting, but you always know what happens next.
Moving on to the guitar work. I really enjoyed the execution of the lead guitars and solos on this album. The leads were melodic and the solos were quite tastefully done which is a characteristic of an experienced guitar player who shows he doesn’t have to jam as many notes as he can down the listeners ears. The solos stitch into the songs as opposed to being almost independent of the underlying song.
Robyn’s vocals are spot on for this band. He really likes to hang in the high register and reminded me of Ronnie James Dio or the band Seventh Avenue. “Samson’s Kryptonite” really showcases his ability to sing dynamically with great control. His performance on “Welcome to Reality” conjured up images of a street preacher with his line, “Are you with me so far?”
Lyrically, I think that the band did a good effort in providing hopeful lyrics. The opener is a praise song to God in spite of all of the mess that is in the world. “The Edge of Night” is a sung to someone dealing with lonliness and imploring them to hold on during the dark times because God will see them through. “Call Down the Thunder” is a great song that uses biblical imagery of the Israelites in Exodus to imagine coming home to the promised land.
There are some that get pseudo-political by decrying the evils borne from our political divisions, particularly in the US. “Welcome to Reality” shows how division is pushing the world to chaos. “Last Daze” is about losing peace because we tune into the noise of the world rather than what truly matters. I don’t think RoG is making a definitive political stance, but trying to make sense from a Christian perspective.
“Rise of Aslan” was a disappointment. I enjoy CS Lewis and the attempt at imagery from the Chronicles of Narnia, but the music and lyrics didn’t line up for me. The lyrics walked through Aslan’s sacrifice for Edmund into his victorious resurrection. The lyrics on their own seemed good, but the music just did not fit. I felt that the singing was a little whiny and that they had wandered into a desert and couldn’t get out.
“1,000 Years” was also slightly disappointing from the musical side. The guitars got some heavy effects and made super muddy which distracted me from an otherwise interesting song.
But making it all the way to “Writing On the Wall” is well worth it. Clean guitars arpegiate as Robyn comes in softly. Then it explodes. The feel is very dramatic and emotional. The melody of the singing is quite catchy proclaiming that God will conquer all through love.
This is a great debut for RoG with a couple of spots that could get tuned up. RoG will be playing the Immortal Christian Rock Festival (Part 1) this summer on July 23, 2023 in Varsailles, OH if you have the chance to catch them live.
Rating: 8/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – Forever and Ever
2 – Welcome to Reality
3 – Rise of Aslan
4 – Samson’s Kryptonite
5 – Love Came To Die
6 – Call Down The Thunder
7 – Last Daze
8 – The Edge of Night
9 – 1,000 Years
10 – Writing On The Wall
Reign of Glory is:
Robyn Kyle Basuari – Vocals
Nick Layton – Guitars
Roger Dale Martin – Bass
Jim Chaffin – Drums
Release Date: August 12, 2022
Record Label: Roxx Records
Social Media: Facebook / Deezer / Spotify
Lyric video for ‘Welcome to Reality’
Lyric video for ‘Forever and Ever’
Lyric video for ‘Love Came to Die’
