Single Review: King Kraken - Call To War (2026)
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Written: 1st April 2026
Hailing from South Wales, King Kraken are a heavy rock / metal band that have been building quite a name for themselves both in the studio - read my review of their 2025 album March of the Gods here - and in the live arena: last year they opened the day at Stonedead Festival, played their own headline shows and shared stages with a whole host of legendary bands. Call To War is the band’s first new release since March of the Gods and the band are determined to continue their trend for writing exciting and pounding songs. “We’ve picked up where we left off; the same Kraken sound but with more focus, grit and determination!”
Call To War begins with a biting riff from Adam Healey - an instant and urgent indicator of what is to come. Following a couple of thumping pulses from drummer Richard Lee Mears, the rest of the band join with bassist Karl Meyer travelling along his fretboard with dextrous tension. With violent force, the song ignites and a captivating groove begins. It is a restless and caustic opening that will have fans nodding heads and tapping feet from the outset. Within twenty seconds, Mark Donoghue unleashes unmistakable and powerful vocals as he begins to weave the narrative of Call To War which is based on the classic science-fiction novel The War of the Worlds. Cruel infestation takes a hold destroying all in its wake / Deep below the surface the machines rise up to darken the day.
Following the incendiary opening, an impassioned and unflinching Donoghue cries This is a call to war! It is easy to imagine fans singing with him, fists raised in the air. Such is the battle cry, it sounds like a band taking to the stage at the start of a show and it would be easy to imagine the track opening their set in the future, uniting band and crowd in the process. The rhythm section are in formidable form, stamping out a hostile, aggressive foundation that evokes the looming presence of the invaders. A short wailing, soaring solo from Adam Healey leads us towards the second verse, King Kraken showing just how tight and inventive their songwriting has become. Years across the darkness their goal is to enslave us all / Join with the resistance, take the fight / It’s time to make the call.
A slightly slower section follows, opening into a longer, darker guitar solo that begins to expose the looming consequences of invasion, hinting at the fear and devastation that - those who know the story - understand is still to come. However, Call To War is set at the start of the Martian invasion, before humanity truly understands what it is facing; the rallying cry and the bulk of the music is heroic and defiant because it captures everything we feel in that moment and in our first, instinctive response: stand together, fight back and believe that unity and firepower can still turn the tide. Purge evil invaders in a storm fuelled for this age and all / Shake this world a thousand times in heavy fire / Giants fall.
As a piece of storytelling, Call To War feels entirely suited to the vastness of its subject. King Kraken’s sound carries the necessary weight and intent to reflect the enormity of the Martian tripods as they take their first, devastating steps, translating scale and threat into something visceral. It builds naturally on the approach established on March of the Gods, refining the band’s identity without losing its edge. Call To War will be extremely well received by long‑time listeners and is certain to draw in new ones, standing as further proof that King Kraken have both the vision and the discipline to match ambition with substance. Monstrous, monolithic and majestic.
Call To War is released on 17th April 2026
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