Track By Tracks: UNDERKING - Ghosts Of The Past (2020)

1. Hexed:

Kicking off 'Ghosts of the Past', I could think of no better song to do it with. 'Hexed' is probably my most 'single' sounding song on the project with a catchy hook and a memorable guitar riff. I really focused on making this song as catchy as possible whilst still keeping the song genuine and true to myself. The lyrical content is based around the end of the world and how people try, but fail, to outrun the past - making for a neat juxtaposition between the music and lyrical themes.

2. Underking:

This track came about by envisaging what the name of the project would conjure in people's imagination (if they hadn't heard of the 'Elder Scrolls') so I ended up with the king of goblins. I wanted the song to be groovy and almost cheeky. The riff is definitely a tricky one to play! Whilst some may find the lyrics on this track to be a bit cheesy, if you like fun, tongue in cheek lyrics - you might dig this tune!

3. Fading Colour:

An interlude tune that merges into lead single 'Black Lungs' - this song sees some of my most introspective lyrics to date and sets the tone for the tracks to follow. Its a calm moment on the LP and definitely isn't what people might expect if they thought of metal but I felt that it was necessary to the flow of the album.

4. Black Lungs:

Lead single from 'Ghosts of the Past', I think this might be my favourite track off either release, with a catchy chromatic riff and lots of vocal harmonies inspired by Ghost. This song definitely takes cues from Black Sabbath and Ghost, with doom inspired lyrics and music that hopefully gets peoples heads banging! When I was finished up the tracklisting for the project, I knew this had to be people's first taste of Underking as I definitely think its a strong track.

5. Chasing Ghosts:

An instrumental track, 'Chasing Ghosts' was written on the anniversary of the death of a loved one. The track means a lot to me and has a cinematic/emotional quality that I hope other people can come away with after listening to it. Whilst only short, I think the tune is memorable and has a unique harmonic quality to it.

6. To My Death:

This is the song where 'Ghosts of the Past' gets its name from. The penultimate track on the record, I wanted to write something as groovy as a Periphery riff, whilst still keeping the track accessible to people who aren't fans of the overtly technical sounds of djent and tech-metal. The lyrics of the track centre around the perpetual nature of war and my moral opposition to many of the conflicts fought throughout the course of human history.

7. Witch Hammer:

An ambitious closer, I wanted to use some orchestral elements and synths to usher in a doom metal sound. With the lyrics focusing on the witch trials of old, I wanted the music to reflect this, making it as epic and dark sounding as possible. I focused a lot on the vocal harmonies throughout the track and with some additions from Adam Buckley (the producer of both LPs) I think we managed to create a vocally interesting track, highlighting a period of history I believe is very interesting and is often overlooked. I wanted to emulate 'Seek and Destroy' a bit, towards the end of the song with the chanted section and I think it made for a good addition to the track - adding another catchy moment to the record!