Riot Games is the group behind the online multiplayer battle arena game League of Legends, which has more than 2 million players. Filled with colorful, playable characters that have their own unique personalities within this universe, there are five characters that have formed the virtual band Pentakill. Riot decided to release actual music from these characters and have given us, surprisingly, one of the heaviest metal albums of this year, matching even Mastodon‘s Once More ‘Round the Sun.
All of the songs make reference to gameplay elements but not in a cheesy way which was something I was worried about. A lot of tribute albums to video games try their to best to pander and make references basically saying, “Hey look guys! We play video games just like you!” Smite and Ignite doesn’t ever do that, and every single song is taken seriously when the instrumentals are this heavy and the lyrics are like a battle song for an upcoming match. “Lightbringer” and “Deathfire Grasp” are booming with otherworldly riffs and drum blasts and basslines that even sound like Tool. YES. TOOL.
The later songs still keep up the power and intensity even in its instrumentals. “Ohmwrecker” and “The Hex Core” each have their heavy metal essentials, with added sounds and effects that hint at the game itself (to the League players, who’s ult sound is that in “The Hex Core”? Shocking, right?). In addition, none of the songs ever seem like they’re advertising to you, it’s just a metal album for all to enjoy.
The album for never falls flat, but it does become a little cheesy at the end with “The Prophecy”. The virtual guitarist speaks about “The Age of Metal” but it really has nothing to do with the characters or the story of League and it seems like a b-side intro that they just threw in. It is kind of cool to hear Mordekaiser’s voice though. “Thornmail” tells the story of an enchanted armor and it has the feel of epic, storytelling metal but the way the vocals are sung is kind of, again, cheesy. “Orb of Winter” is slightly out of place as an orchestral piece that sounds like Danny Elfman doing the score for Tim Burton’s version of Lord of the Rings.
Final Verdict: This is a very very VERY entertaining surprise. I didn’t expect it to be as heavy or as serious as it was, and with the instrumentations it is even more so. I feel pumped and primed after listening to three tracks and ready to take on the world. The references to the game are everywhere but are never obvious as to what they are and adds to them just being a part of the song, rather than sticking out like a sore thumb when you recognize it. This is a heavy metal album that should be taken seriously on its own because of the production and songwriting, because even for non-players, it’s completely solid and you’d never guess. I’m looking forward to more, but if they don’t make anymore songs this would be enough and honestly, I want to see them tour like Gorillaz or something like it.
Hey everyone! I'm Christopher Hopkins, friends call me Oatmeal, and I'm a music reviewer, graphic designer, gamer, and artist. Can't wait to start posting up on here!