Fates Warning and Arch/Matheos guitarist Jim Matheos has teamed up with vocalist Steve Overland, who has sang with various British groups through the years, notably FM and Wildlife, to form Kings of Mercia. The band's first single, "Wrecking Ball," is available now, and you can check it out in the video below.
About the track, which is a straight up high -energy rocker, Matheos has said, “'Wrecking Ball' was the first song I wrote for what would become Kings of Mercia, it's also the opening track on the album. I didn’t have a clear dea of what I wanted to do musically but this one came together very quickly and naturally without too much forethought. The combination of simple but heavy riffs along with Steve's powerful vocals sets the tone and mood for the rest of the record.”
Indeed, Overland's vocal soars on "Wrecking Ball." It's a testament to his long and solid career, thus far.
“'Wrecking Ball' is a great introductory track for what Kings of Mercia are all about," says Overland. "And a great taster for what to expect from the rest of the album. A powerful hard hitting, anthemic rock track, with melody and great individual performances from all the band.”
The roots of Kings of Mercia are nestled in Matheos' desire to strip away preconceived notions and let the music come to him naturally. But the melodic hard rock style found on "Wrecking Ball" intrigued him, and as Matheos notes, "It’s our first record, so there was nothing to measure it against or expectations to live up to, even if only in my own head.”
A pre-order/pre-save for Kings of Mercia is available here. The group recently signed to Metal Blade records, who will be distributing the album. Along with Matheos and Overland, Kings Of Mercia are rounded out by drummer Simon Phillips (Toto, Derek Sherinian) and Fates Warning bassist Joey Vera. You can stay up to date with the group by following them on Facebook today.
