Pentakill - II: Grasp Of The Undying album review

Stupendously popular heavy metal avatars flesh out their vision

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Cover art for Pentakill - II: Grasp Of The Undying album

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Pentakillare a virtual band comprised of quirky sci-fi characters from the League Of Legends universe. Despite 2014’s Smite And Ignite proving halfbaked,… Legends fans sent it into the Billboard Top 40 and showered them with millions of Spotify and YouTube hits. Bolstered by that record’s rampant success, gaming titan Riot Games summoned their in-house composers and a roster of guests including Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande, Battle Beast singer Noora Louhimo and drummer Tommy Lee. II… imbues hooky arena rock grandeur with generous doses of symphonic and power metal, igniting full-throttle belters like Rapid SOFTWAREmark” gingersoftwareuiphraseguid=“66a9d852-0b64-499d-9e24-c164e1313bb4” id=“576eae9e-0387-4fd5-bca8-4e5d3e6ecb7c”>Firecannon and Mortal Reminder. There’s plenty of thrash, prog and even pop. Although largely formulaic, the fist-pumping riffs and powerhouse vocals unleash a propulsive sense of urgency. It’s exceedingly well-crafted and fun as hell.

Joe Daly
Joe Daly

Hailing from San Diego, California, Joe Daly is an award-winning music journalist with over thirty years experience. Since 2010, Joe has been a regular contributor for Metal Hammer, penning cover features, news stories, album reviews and other content. Joe also writes for Classic Rock, Bass Player, Men’s Health and Outburn magazines. He has served as Music Editor for several online outlets and he has been a contributor for SPIN, the BBC and a frequent guest on several podcasts. When he’s not serenading his neighbours with black metal, Joe enjoys playing hockey, beating on his bass and fawning over his dogs.