For I Am King is a furious metal band from the Netherlands who have recently released their debut full length album, 'Daemons'. The album has already received quite a bit of praise online, and it made me an instant fan. We were lucky enough to sit down with the band to discuss their style, their album and what the future may hold.
Before you jump into the interview, check out 'the Crone', the best track to know what 'For I Am King' is all about.
How did the band meet and what inspired you to start such a heavy band?
Some of us are friends for a long time and we also know each other from playing in other bands. The chemistry and friendship within the band was an important thing for us. Regarding the style choice, we are all lovers of melodic metal, but also love old school metalcore. We wanted to make, write music which mixes both.
What was the thought process behind the name? With Alma being the front woman one would think For I Am 'Queen' would be a more suiting title.
Haha yes that would be more suiting but when you listen to Alma's voice... ;). But we got inspired by the movie ‘The Man In The Iron Mask’, it's a quote from king Louis. It also gets used by more kings in other movies. Since the first second the name was pitched we loved it.
Female Fronted is a tag that has been getting negative attention lately simply for classifying by gender. What are your thoughts on this term?
Alma: Well you can't get around the fact that there is actualy a female fronting the band, so i don't think there is something wrong with the term "female fronted". But the fact that there is a female singing shouldn't make a difference. We see our band as one and we are not different than any other ‘male fronted’ metal bands.
Your debut album 'Daemons' was released on the 17th, and has said to take the listener through a world of tales and myths. Could you tell us more about that?
Jasper: All lyrics are fiction and inspired by myths and legends. I have always liked greek mythology and other old legends. For me it made it easier to write the lyrics in a short time frame because the subjects were already there.I've seen nothing but praise for 'Daemons', and I myself am a huge fan. How are you feeling about the response from fans and critics alike?
Jurgen: We are for sure overwhelmed by all the positive feedback we are getting! We wrote this record for us but also for the ‘world’ and how it’s received it’s far beyond our expectations.
If a listener could only hear one track off of the album, which would you recommend?
Jasper: The Crone, because it contains all the ingredients of Daemons and I think fans of different metal genres will get their fix out of it.
Jurgen: Hmmm difficult, cause every song has his own strength. I also would say ‘the Crone’. It’s the first song we wrote for Daemons and the first step to our new sound.
I heard 'Black Death' on Spotify and then looked up the full album on Apple Music. Are you a fan of streaming services?
Jasper: definitely, because it makes it easier to spread our music worldwide. We are very proud of this record and therefore we want to share it with as much people as possible.
When I think about Amsterdam, Metal doesn't immediately come to mind. How is the metal scene and community like there?
The scene is getting better and better. There are a lot of great festivals and shows going on here in Amsterdam, like Amsterdam Metalfest and the Impericon festival at the Melkweg.
Any other notable bands from your hometown you want to give a shout out to?
Let’s go for within our Dutch borders ;). You should definitely check out the following bands:
The Royal, Pelgrim, Izegrim, Bring on the Bloodshed, Call it Off, For Blood and Vengeance,
2 Years To Apocalypse and From Earth.
How is the future looking, any touring going on? Perhaps some North American stops?
We are busy planning the upcoming year and for sure are going to do some touring. Keep your eyes on our page, social media.
Well, I don't want to take up too much of your time. I'm going to go listen to 'Daemons' again. I really appreciate you taking the time to sit down and do this for us at Metalhorizons. Do you have any final things you would like to say?
Thank you so much for having us and we hope to see you soon in North America ;) Stay metal!!!
Check out more of For I Am King.
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