Single Review: King Kraken - Shadows Fall (2026)
Written: 13th September 2026
During 2026, King Kraken has been steadily releasing a string of standalone songs with Call To War and I Am The Apocalypse already furthering their burgeoning reputation. Shadows Fall – which has formed part of the band’s live set for several months now, is the third of four planned releases.
Shadows Fall opens with an urgent, serrated guitar motif from Adam Healey which immediately establishes a somewhat foreboding atmosphere. Drummer Richard Lee Mears and bassist Karl Meyer are a formidable pair and the latter plays a restless subterranean bassline that adds true depth to the band’s sound. Mark Donoghue remains an unmistakable presence behind the microphone and his menacing, authoritative vocals seem more commanding with each successive release. How many times must they be broken / Sacrificing sanity for pain / Further down the road / Into a darkness they don’t know / Never shall they be heard from again. Drawing inspiration from the found footage horror genre, and The Blair Witch Project in particular, Shadows Fall paints an unnerving picture of people becoming lost in the wilderness and falling prey to forces far older and darker than themselves.
King Kraken has deliberately inverted the usual dynamic here, allowing the verses to carry much of the song's melodic weight before unleashing a grittier, more aggressive chorus. There is genuine weight to much of the band’s music but they are wonderfully adept at walking the fine line between memorable melodies, crushing force and a sense of mounting tension. The chorus is among the heaviest moments in the band’s entire discography and certainly encourages a healthy amount of good old-fashioned headbanging. Lost as the shadows fall / No guiding light at all / Death is coming so you kneel and pray / Old one she watches still / Black heart will take its fill / Haunting you until the end of days.
As the song unfolds, the feeling of an unseen malevolence lurking just beyond sight remains ever present. Following the second chorus, a sequence of shorter, staccato-style riffs and Mears's thundering bass toms suggest frantic escape, as though a protagonist is desperately attempting to put distance between themselves and whatever fate awaits within the woods. Healey's exquisitely claustrophobic solo reinforces that atmosphere still further, transforming the trees into an ever more oppressive maze.
Recorded at Longwave Studios in Cardiff, with production and mixing handled once again by Romesh Dodangoda alongside engineer Tom Cory, Shadows Fall further demonstrates the strength of a partnership that continues to serve King Kraken well. Rather than relying solely on impact, the production gives plenty of space for the song's darker qualities to emerge, whilst the arrangement remains disciplined and purposeful throughout. Every shift in intensity feels measured, allowing the atmosphere to develop naturally as the narrative unfolds.
Shadows Fall is another impressive addition to King Kraken's growing catalogue and maintains the high standard established by this current series of releases. Having very recently completed a successful run of dates with Crobot and with further shows alongside Breed 77 scheduled for November, the band continue to place themselves in front of larger audiences whilst steadily refining their craft in the studio. The current run of singles and the road towards album number three in 2027 represents a particularly significant period in the band's development. Few bands are working as hard to earn the wider recognition they deserve and King Kraken are ready for the next step. Menacing. Claustrophobic. Compelling.
Shadows Fall is released on 18th September 2026
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