Beyond Grace: The Kingdom Burns
When the annals of history look back on the latter stages of the 2010s and the early years of the 2020s, the turmoil felt across the world will be one of great significance. Political, economic, social and a global pandemic to boot, the last five years have tested modern humanity to its breaking point. Despite the turmoil, they say that times of great distress can inspire great art and if the saying is true, look no further than Our Kingdom Undone, the sophomore outing from BEYOND GRACE. A crushing release that points the magnifying glass to humanity as a whole, for vocalist Andy Walmsley, he reveals to Distorted Sound that despite the wide-reaching themes of their new album, the underlying theme is one of frustration.
“I think the chief emotion underlying this album is frustration. A boiling over of disappointment and disgust at the selfish, self-serving, and self-destructive actions and activities of large swathes of the human race, particularly in my own country (England),” he tells us. “I’m no nihilist, by any means. I believe in the potential of humanity. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But the past several years it’s seemed that (speaking in general terms) we’ve taken our eyes off the ball and allowed the most repugnant and retrogressive parts of our natures, our pettiest impulses and ugliest instincts, to dictate the way we think and act. We’ve let ourselves, to quote the late, great, Edward R. Murrow, ‘be driven by fear into an age of unreason’.”
Across Our Kingdom Undone‘s runtime, not only do BEYOND GRACE display an appropriate reflection on the dumpster fire of modern living, but they achieve it thanks to wicked blend of accessible and brutal metal. Barmecide Feast ebbs and flows in punishing rhythm whilst The Price Of Peace‘s dizzying technical riffs will leave you floored. Showcasing the growth from 2017’s debut Seekers, for Andy, their new opus’ main intent is all about making an impact. “We want this album to make an impact, make a statement, and help us to establish a name for ourselves as a band to be reckoned with. To show that while we may not be the biggest, we’re still capable of going toe-to-toe, round-for-round, alongside the very best. We’ve thrown everything we have into this record, and hope that people come away from it with the sense that we’re a band worth following, worth investing in, and a band worth talking about,” Andy says, “But the only way to do that is for us to make a connection. We’re not the sort of band who write ‘for’ an audience, by any means (if we write ‘for’ anyone, or anything, it’s for ourselves, to express those feelings and urges that can only be communicated through music – catharsis, in a word) but if this album does connect with other people, in all its fury and fear and frustration, then that’s perhaps the greatest achievement we could possibly hope for.”
Our Kingdom Undone arrives at an ample time where UK metal is enjoying a period of great prosperity. Across the scene and its wide array of varying sub-genres, heavy music in the UK is booming and for those looking to make a strong and immediate impact, the competition has never been stronger. Having been on the scene since 2014 under the BEYOND GRACE moniker, Andy has seen the development of the UK’s scene better than most and he explains that whilst there is competition to be heard, obviously, it should never detract from the real reason why we love this music as we do.
“I definitely don’t try to think of it as ‘competition’. For a couple of different reasons. For one thing, let’s face it, if it is a competition, it’s not a fair one—who you know often has a bigger impact than what you know, still, and we’ve seen too many fantastic bands over the years never get their due while other, more generic, bands reap the rewards of riding the right wave(s) (or the right coattails),” he explains. “Recently, I was reading about casino utan svensk licens, where the same kind of uneven playing field exists—some platforms thrive due to the right connections, while others struggle despite offering superior experiences. More importantly, however, once you start viewing it as a competition, it starts to sap all the joy from it. You’ll always be wondering what you can do to be bigger or better, faster or heavier, than X, Y, or Z, and if you’re constantly comparing your level of success to others (and I’ve been very guilty of this in the past myself), you won’t be able to appreciate how great it is just to be in a band, making music with the people you love, and creating something that represents who you are.”
From our time with Andy, it is clear that he wears his heart on his sleeve, leaving all to bare. And so speaks of his music. With Our Kingdom Undone in their locker, BEYOND GRACE are poised to make UK extreme music their hunting ground. Long may it reign.
Our Kingdom Undone is out now via Prosthetic Records.
For more information on BEYOND GRACE like their official page on Facebook.
