Kings of Mercia - Battle Scars (Official Video)

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Now and again, art offers up the perfect storm. When creative worlds collide with a furious cacophony of power, licks, and lyrics, magic happens. Such is the case with KINGS OF MERCIA, whose second album, 'Battle Scars,' is the continuation of a story as unlikely as it is glorious. The band is helmed by guitarist Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) and singer Steve Overland (FM) who are joined by drummer Simon Phillips(The Who, Toto) and bassist Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning).
KINGS OF MERCIA are:
Jim Matheos - Guitars
Steve Overland - Vocals
Simon Phillips - Drums
Joey Vera - Bass
/ kingsofmercia
"We found our feet with this album. This is the Kings of Mercia evolving. People think you can pigeonhole rock music fans, but they just like good songs and good music," Overland says.
KINGS OF MERCIA's 2022 approachable, world-class self-titled debut was termed “truly a hybrid: it’s heavy, but not metal. It’s got tones of melodic AOR hard rock but with an edge.” Now, 2024 brings the band's sophomore album written and recorded throughout 2023, 'Battle Scars' sees the core writing team of Matheos and Overland expanding on their obvious chemistry.
"I think it was a bit easier this time around because we’ve established a good working rhythm," states Matheos, "I’ll send Steve at least a few songs every couple of months, and I try to keep them varied. This allows him to work on whichever ones he feels strongly about."
“What Jim sends me is the first draft of that song,” says Overland. “So once he's heard all the melodies and the harmonies I sing, he can chop it about and make it how he thinks it should be. He always sends me three or four different versions. He'll say, ‘What do you think? Which do you like?’ Then we work it out between us and come up with the one we're both happy with.”
“Steve and I started working together in 2021,” says Matheos. “I was aware of FM-they came up around the same time as Fates Warning - but I’d lost touch with them and wasn’t familiar with their more recent work. When Steve was recommended to me, I checked out some of the newer releases and felt Steve was exactly what I was looking for.”
“It's a different genre of music that I'm normally involved in,” says Overland, whose voice has been likened to other British greats Paul Rodgers and Glenn Hughes. “Obviously, I’d heard of Fates Warning - they're a very big cult band in their field. Jim and I touched base, and I told him to send me one backing track. If it sounds great, then it's a win-win. If it doesn't, we'll just call it a day, knock it on the head, not take it any further. That song became ‘Humankind’ from the first album. I wrote the melodies and the title and put it all together. Jim got it and he was blown away. So we made a couple more. I loved doing it. It was just such a different challenge for me.”
Those songs would become the self-titled debut album, which was released in 2022. Written during lockdown, bouncing tracks across the Atlantic, KINGS OF MERCIA found its mojo. Fans of Fates Warning, FM, and Armored Saint all rejoiced at the common ground on KINGS OF MERCIA, the sweet spot in the middle of the Venn diagram.
It’s a true collaboration that has led to KOM's 'Battle Scars.' However, despite the unfolding sound and clear chemistry between the four Kings, Overland has never met his bandmates in person. 'Battle Scars,' like its predecessor, is a slab of transatlantic magic.
Video by:
Simon Ward
www.identity-m...

[@RogerSullivanNOLA]

Amazing song. Thanks Jim Matheos for turning me onto Steve Overland. What a great singer.

[@elmalo5851]

This song took me back to the Eagles/Chicago era. Instant classic!

[@PrimitiveInTheExtreme]

Wow what a magnificent song.

[@richarddebbage6220]

Very Touching as well as Beautiful .. brought tears to my eyes

[@rudimoser4809]

Steve Overland a great voice in the Rock Business incredibly and amazing song

[@alanfitzpatrick2236]

First album was brilliant and I can’t wait to hear this in full on vinyl. Kings of Mercia are like a shining light full of dirge rock. Brilliant stuff.

[@tonebrooker7675]

this resonates with me... truly epic song

[@tonebrooker7675]

the voice that never stops giving

[@JPJonPander]

Man this is a tear jerker, made me cry :(

[@Hooman.M]

Dimond...We Really Need This Kind Of Music's Now Days

[@michaelborggren3745]

What a voice🤘❤️

[@mitchellschleede569]

Best song I've heard from this collaboration.

[@azwris]

It's a great song and a perfect video.

[@knowandgrow8920]

With all due respect, the song is really boring and unoriginal.

[@azwris]

@@knowandgrow8920 Unoriginal? Boring? With this level of musicianship & production quality? You must be joking. With all due respect!

[@AaronAaron-tv2lr]

Another great song!

[@lazpete]

Love this!

[@Doomherre]

🖤🖤🖤

[@SanctusFragmentum]

Amazing!!

[@thiagodanielduarterecalde3063]

Simplemente sin palabras 😮😮 🤯🤯🤯

[@MichaelKizer]

Battle Scars I can hear the thunder See fire in the skies It's dragging me under I'm scared, to close my eyes Is this a new beginning? So much time has passed Is there a happy ending? Will I be free at last. Free last? Don't wait for me We're close but yet so far Ghosts haunt my memories I'm trapped here in the past The hurt is there for all to see But I still wear these battle scars These battle scars As you lie beside me I can hear you breathe I wish that I could find me And be that man you need If it takes a lifetime I know you'll still be there But there's a doubt in my mind Can I ever shake this fear. Shake this fear? Don't wait for me We're close but yet so far Ghosts haunt my memories I'm trapped here in the past The hurt is there for all to see But I always wear these battle scars (wear these battle scars) These battle scars (wear these battle scars) These battle scars (wear these battle scars) These battle scars These battle scars Don't wait for me These battle scars Ghosts haunt my memories I still wear these battle scars These battle scars These battle scars

[@johnjarrell7392]

Awesome, I love it!!

[@frankbarker1568]

I told Jim this song was bas ass. This song is bad ass

[@gemssofiasalvatori]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@eddiejimenez2]

Speechless, but I can relate.

[@anja5931]

🌬️⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wow, ⛓️‍💥🎶🎶🎶🎶⛓️‍💥 ☄️Good song,good music,good voice💋☄️ Thank you,i ♥️it🥂😉

[@artur_zelensky]

Very gud. 👍

[@januszjankes6423]

🤘👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹🤘 zajebisty

[@jsotelo8918]

At a glace I thought it was going to be a joke band called Kings of 'Merica. Looks like Trump in the thumbnail. Great song though.

[@mitchellschleede569]

Jim Mateos, guitarist, is from Fates Warning. Fates Warning is considered one of the godfathers of progressive metal. The singer is an European AOR legend. This is a side project.

[@greekfreak1980]

What the other guy said, also Joey Vera from Armored Saint ( iconic oldschool Metal band from L.A. ) on bass and Simon Phillips, legendary jazz fusion drummer ( one of the guys that pioneered double-bass drumming in the late 70´s, he has played also with Judas Priest ) is playing here.

[@incutool]

@@greekfreak1980 His Arch/Matheos project put out the best metal album of the last 20 years imo, “Winter Ethereal’ (2019) featuring an incredible ensemble cast. Jarzombek and Lang on drums to name a few

[@yulog]

Not a decent song on the whole cd, might be the only Steve overland cd that i can say this about ,hate to say it but this cd is a stinker. 👎