"At Hell's Gate"

Underking is a fantasy and science fiction inspired metal project from Nottingham, UK. Emotionally charged, hard and melodic and yet not a bit overloaded.

The new Underking album "At Hell's Gate" will be released tomorrow. I've had the honour of listening to it for a few weeks now and would like to recommend it to all of you who are interested in metal.

 "Underking – \"At Hell's Gate\"")

You can hear the influences Foo Fighters, Judas Priest, Kvelertak, and Black Sabbath listed by Underking founder Maxwell Jeffries very well. Nevertheless, the world of Underking is a world all of its own. The music of the Brit feels a bit like a piece of new fresh Classic Metal. However, he does it without endless fiddling and overly floral elements - which suits the sound pretty well.

Underking is dark and playful

Dark and playful at the same time, with exciting references to the sci-fi genre, the record spirals from one highlight to the next. The work is definitely not only suitable for listening to on the side. I would really love to witness it live. Preferably on one of the big festival stages.

The colleagues that solo artist Max would need to realise such a project would undoubtedly be found quickly. With his style, he appeals to fans of the most diverse musical styles. The multi-instrumentalist's spectrum ranges from powerful vocals and wild riffs to a captivating overall experience.

Sounds of the future and the past

For Max, the project sums up all his interests under one name. With "Underking", he perfectly expresses his love for futuristic stuff and the past's metal bombast.


Following his debut album in double LP format, "Amongst The Dead" and "Ghosts Of The Past", released in early 2020, Max, aka Underking, released a trilogy of singles that are of particular significance to him personally. Each of them reflects specific musical interest of his - from hard rock balladry to energetic thrash metal to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM).

We should give Underking a listen

The total of ten tracks on "At Hell's Gate" sums up all of this - enriched with another pleasant touch of creativity. Underking works - all along the line. It's definitely worth a listen - not only for fans of thrash and classic metal. Max has the following words to say about his new record:

"I tried to make my new album sound as much like me as possible. I wanted to explore the possibilities of making music on my own fully. It allows me to explore a lot of sounds in one project and still sound like myself. There's an instrumental I've wanted to do for a long time, a long epic-sounding closer and more big choruses than ever before. Musically, there's some heavier stuff on the LP too. Overall, I've refined my songwriting process, and the lyrics revolve around themes and stories that I personally care about."

For the musician, "At Hell's Gate" shows what point in his career he is at right now. I suspect there's a lot more in store for him (and us). So we should definitely be curious and keep an eye on Underking.

Pictures: frankiethephotographer