Prisoner - Kill The King
- Samuel Stevens
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Prisoner’s Kill The King doesn’t just enter the room—it kicks the door in, guitar blazing, drums pounding, and with frontman Murray Emery howling like a man possessed by the very spirit of rock 'n' roll and heavy metal. The Calgary-based quartet’s debut full-length is a thunderous, riff-soaked declaration of purpose—an arrival rather than a beginning. It's a record born not in isolation but in brotherhood, driven by urgency, confidence, and a genuine love for the genre’s rich legacy.
Formed in 2020, Prisoner has had a few years to sharpen their blades, but Kill The King is their first fully collaborative effort—and it shows. Written and recorded in just five months, the album captures the raw, kinetic energy of four musicians feeding off each other's instincts. The result is a record that feels alive in the way great rock albums should: immediate, rebellious, and completely unapologetic.
From the opening notes of the album's intro track, “Mars,” the listener is plunged into a world of molten riffs and cosmic ambition. The track sets the tone with a spacey intro that bursts into a stomping groove, introducing Emery’s gritty vocals and the band’s no-nonsense sound—equal parts bluesy swagger, NWOBHM snarl, and classic hard rock fist-pumping fervour. It’s easy to hear the influences: the meat-and-potatoes crunch of AC/DC, the epic scale of Black Sabbath, the thrash edge of early Megadeth. Yet Prisoner is far from derivative. They filter their inspirations through a modern lens, giving their sound enough polish to stand tall in 2025 without sacrificing the grit.
The title track, “Kill The King,” is a centrepiece in every sense. It’s a rallying cry for self-determination, powerfully symbolic and musically ferocious, with razor-sharp guitar work from Marco Cioffi and a pummeling rhythm section courtesy of Trevor Macdonald and Karl Pflug. Emery delivers the chorus with venom, making the song feel like both a personal catharsis and a battle cry for a disillusioned generation.
Elsewhere, Kill The King showcases a surprising amount of dynamic range. “Chasing Ghosts” leans into melancholic melody via melodic guitars, offering a haunting exploration of regret and memory, while “Feel The Heat” is all swagger and swing, built for sweaty and dingy clubs and fistfuls of cheap beer. “Lost In Control” demonstrates the band’s knack for pairing anthemic choruses with heavy, fast, groove-driven riffs, and “Cold Light” showcases the band's softer, melancholic side with a slow-paced ballad. Whereas “Double Vision” feels like a lost cut from a late ‘80s arena tour—complete with a soaring solo and a chorus that dares you not to sing along.
There’s also a notable maturity in the lyrics. Emery writes with clarity and conviction about self-doubt, burnout, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world. “Edge of the Universe” and “Stress Fracture” tackle existential themes with a poetic edge, showing a band unafraid to get personal even when they’re playing at maximum volume.
Sonically, the album is tight and clean without sacrificing its raw DIY edge. Credit goes to Cody Anstey’s mixing work and Tyler Corbett’s mastering, which give the record a full-bodied sound that’s equally punchy and immersive. The production feels lived-in, modern enough for today’s listeners but nowhere close to being overproduced. There's an analog warmth to it that keeps the heart of the record beating strong.
By the time the album's closer “Over The Magic” fades out—equal parts epic and elegiac—Prisoner has made their case: Kill The King is a warning shot. This is a band that understands the roots of heavy music and knows how to build something new from it. They’ve set a high bar for themselves, and if this record is the baseline, the future of Canadian hard rock just got a hell of a lot louder.
See their upcoming Canadian tour dates below:
08.08.25 Medicine Hat, AB @ Liquid Event Center
08.09.25 Brandon, MB @ The 40
08.12.25 Winnipeg, MB @ Handsome Daughter
08.13.25 Thunder Bay, ON @ Black Pirate Pub
08.15. 25 London, ON @ Palisade Socialbowl
08.16.25 Hamilton, ON @ Doors Pub 08.17.25 Toronto, ON @ Bovine Sex Club
Comments