Kings Of Mercia announce new album ‘Battle Scars’

August 20, 2024 James Weaver

KINGS OF MERCIA have announced a new album!

Titled Battle Scars, the upcoming album from the heavy metal band is the follow-up to 2022’s self-titled debut, and is scheduled to be released in October this year, via Metal Blade Records.

“I think it was a bit easier this time around because we‘ve established a good working rhythm,” says guitarist Jim Matheos, “I’ll send Steve [Overland, vocals] at least a few songs every couple of months, and I try to keep them varied. This allows him to work on whichever ones he feels strongly about.”

“What Jim sends me is the first draft of that song,” says Overland. “So once he’s heard all the melodies and the harmonies I sing, he can chop it about and make it how he thinks it should be. He always sends me three or four different versions. He’ll say, ‘What do you think? Which do you like?’ Then we work it out between us and come up with the one we’re both happy with.”

“Steve and I started working together in 2021,” says Matheos. “I was aware of FM – they came up around the same time as FATES WARNING – but I‘d lost touch with them and wasn‘t familiar with their more recent work. When Steve was recommended to me, I checked out some of the newer releases and felt Steve was exactly what I was looking for.”

Alongside the announcement of the new album, KINGS OF MERCIA have released a new music video for a new song lifted from the upcoming album; Don’t Ask. The new song is described by singer Steve Overland as an “angsty love song” with lyrics including: “You could believe in anything you wanted to believe; We were all free to be whatever we wanted to be.”

Watch the official music video for Don’t Ask here:

Also, you can view both the track list and artwork for the upcoming new album below:

Track List:

1. Guns And Ammunition
2. Eye For An Eye
3. Between Two Worlds
4. Legend
5. Battle Scars
6. Don’t Ask
7. Aftermath
8. Hell ‘n’ Back
9. Cold
10. Angels & Demons