Reluctant Hero | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 20, 2020 | |||
Studio | Hybrid Studios | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 47:42 | |||
Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
Producer | Josh Wilbur | |||
Killer Be Killed chronology | ||||
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Singles from Reluctant Hero | ||||
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Reluctant Hero is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Killer Be Killed. It was released on November 20, 2020, by Nuclear Blast.[1]
The band began writing the album in 2016, before going to Hybrid Studios in California in 2018 to record the music. They then finished recording the vocals in 2019.[2]
In an interview, guitarist Max Cavalera discussed the origins of the album cover:
"I'm really happy with how it came out, because I wasn't happy with the first one. I have a lot of these National Geographic magazines at home, and one had a story about haunted places in America. One of them was this cemetery in Cleveland, which has this really cool statue of an angel with a sword. I thought it would look so badass on an album cover — it almost looks like black metal — so I suggested to our label to find someone to go over and take a picture of the statue."[3]
On September 4, 2020, Killer Be Killed announced the release of the album, along with the first single "Deconstructing Self-Construction".[1]
The second single "Dream Gone Bad" was released on October 13, 2020.[4]
On November 6, 2020, the third single "Inner Calm from Outer Storms" was released.[5] In a press release, bass guitarist Troy Sanders said the single is "about having the ability to sense a distant or unseen target. It explores a journey of reckless abandon where the destination may, or may not, actually exist."[6] The single also featured on Consequence of Sound's Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2020.[7]
The fourth single, "From a Crowded Wound", was released on November 20, 2020, the same day as the album release.[8]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Exclaim! | 8/10[9] |
Kerrang! | [10] |
Louder Sound | [11] |
Spectrum Culture | 75%[12] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.2/5[13] |
Reluctant Hero was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 78 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of six reviews.[14]
Max Heilman of Exclaim! said the songs on the release are "elevating poppy ideas with explosive, multilayered musicality and hard-hitting emotion. Reluctant Hero proves metal can be catchy without being stupid."[9]
Critic/Publication | List | Rank | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
Consequence of Sound | Top 30 Metal/Hard Rock Albums of 2020 | 21 | [15] |
Kerrang! | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 22 | [16] |
Loudwire | Top 70 Rock/Metal Albums of 2020 | N/A | [17] |
Revolver | Top 25 Albums of 2020 | 9 | [18] |
All tracks are written by Killer Be Killed
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Deconstructing Self-Destruction" | 4:33 |
2. | "Dream Gone Bad" | 4:15 |
3. | "Left of Center" | 3:30 |
4. | "Inner Calm from Outer Storms" | 3:53 |
5. | "Filthy Vagabond" | 3:48 |
6. | "From a Crowded Wound" | 7:11 |
7. | "The Great Purge" | 4:13 |
8. | "Comfort from Nothing" | 4:18 |
9. | "Animus" | 1:08 |
10. | "Dead Limbs" | 4:48 |
11. | "Reluctant Hero" | 6:05 |
Killer Be Killed
Additional personnel
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] | 45 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] | 46 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] | 52 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[22] | 35 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 69 |
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[24] | 16 |
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[25] | 47 |
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