Kings of the Universe

Skullview's 1998 debut Legends of Valor was a monolith of heavy/USPM/doom that immediately put them on the map as one of the 90s best acts around, worthy to be mentioned alongside the likes of Cauldron Born and Virgin Steele (not a 90s act per se, but all of their best releases came out during that time). 1999's followup Kings of the Universe isn't quite Legends of Valor, but it's not far from it in terms of quality. It's a tad less arcane, a tad less consistent, the guitar tone is a tad less tasty, but it's still crazy USPM of the highest caliber. Vocalist Quimby Lewis is still on top of his game with his inimitably gruff wail, there are still huge, chunky riffs to melt your face off, and the songwriting is still quite excellent. With their second full-length album, Skullview join the ranks of the very few (especially in the late 90s) USPM bands to release two top-tier albums.

The doom influence is pretty much gone here, and the songs are more accessible and a bit less ambitious, but everything is still basically as it should be. The production is thick and heavy, Quimby is loud and prominent but doesn't overshadow the riffs - which would be a huge problem since his vocal style, like Tim Baker's, just wouldn't work at all by itself or with any other riffing style - he's perfect for this band but would be terrible almost anywhere else. The band has a little bit of the weirdness I hear in Cirith Ungol and somewhat in Crush and Brocas Helm as well - it's hard to pin down exactly, but it's basically this arcane, otherworldly, almost alien feel that's not necessarily good in and of itself but works in the context of the band. I think maybe this stems from the fact that the elements of each band would be mediocre or uninteresting by themselves, but put together they're just amazing; as I said earlier, Quimby Lewis or Tim Baker or even Bobby Wright would be pretty bad by themselves or anywhere else; the riffs of said bands are all fairly good, but would also be unspectacular with a "normal" vocalist. Skullview, especially on this album, aren't as "weird" as those three bands, but that element is still present here, albeit to a lesser extent.

If you like meaty, chunky blue collar USPM, though, this album is certainly what you're looking for. Songs like the title track, "Hand of Zeus," and "Cobwebs and Shadowed Images" are just everything I could want in this style; awesome riffs, great vocal lines, seamless songwriting. Unlike the debut, there is actually a ballad here ("Mourning Light"), but it's done very well, which is somewhat surprising to me considering Quimby's vocal style, but he manages a much cleaner approach here that fits perfectly. And once again the band wears their Cirith Ungol influence on their sleeve; the intro is a complex acoustic passage not unlike that on Cirith Ungol's "Finger of Scorn," and there's even a bit of classical influence, just like on that album. To be fair, "Mourning Light" is really only a half-ballad, breaking into a savage fury of riffs and wails later on, but the ballad section is very tastefully and masterfully executed; the band really show themselves to be both deft and versatile. If you're a fan of USPM or Skullview, this album will not disappoint.

Skullview are one of America's most underrated metal troops, with little to no recognition at all in the wider metal world, and why should there be? These guys don't really play a style of music that most people - even metal fans - want to hear. Now broken up, Skullview have left behind a triad of fun little True Metal escapades for us Indiana Jones wannabes to seek out like the shard of gold in the mountain of coal, and Kings of the Universe was the second of these jewels. How good is it? Let's find out.

I don't think this is quite as awesome as the first one, but it's still pretty damn good, especially compared to a lot of the other stuff being put out around this period. Skullview's tendency to write epic, slightly obscure metal compositions referencing everything from Black Sabbath to Manilla Road to Iron Maiden has not waned an inch, but the songwriting is a bit less consistent this time around, with a couple of songs that just are not as good, like "Mourning Light," which literally has a fucking minute and a half of acoustic intro guitar strumming - come on, guys, you could have shortened that easily! It couldn't have been that hard. The song itself generally plods along, too, in the same manner as "Cobwebs and Shadowed Images," which is not as strong as a Skullview song should be. These two songs together add up to twelve minutes of the 42 minute runtime, and that makes this album harder to get into than it should be.

But never fear, for most of the other shit on here just kills. Like the first song, the title track - just listen to those vintage riffs! You can practically smell the dust on them! And "Hand of Zeus"? The band's tendency for epic build-ups and almost progressive cramming of riffs and leads has never produced a finer song. "In League with the Dragon" is hooky and long and really cool, maybe the best on here in the long run. "War Within the Sky" puts an easy smile on my face with its chunky riffs and wailing screams from Quimby Lewis, and "Blast Furnace" is just a fucking ace song, powering out with a mighty groove and an inventive chorus that I just love. "Power of the Gleam of the Skull" is probably the catchiest song they've ever done, with its jumpy chorus line and driving tempo - maybe the best song to show someone who wants to get into this band.

The band definitely has a leaning towards complexity, although it is of a slightly more subtle sort, with riffs and melodies and leads and vocal layers packed into the songs with expert craftsmanship. People can say "less is more" all they want, but in Skullview's case, I think it's more like "more is more." These songs are fun to listen to because they're just jam-packed with everything that metal fans happen to find awesome, and unless you're the kind of person who does NOT like riffs, solos and wailing vocals singing about dragons and mythology and what not, this album will turn you on majorly.

I think this is a liiiittle more modern than its archaic predecessor, but not by a lot, as this is mostly still too obscure and weird for most fans of more commercialized music to enjoy, as it lacks any major hook - this is metal for the fans, by the fans, and that is something I respect a lot. It is pretty demanding music, not giving much to the listener who is impatient or fickle, but it is ultimately rewarding for anyone who loves true Heavy Metal as much as I do. Skullview were never a grade-A band, but they were a really solid one, and if you liked the debut, this sophomore effort is a worthy purchase, too.