Every King Has A Clown Self-Titled Review
Every King Has A Clown
S/T
Cleopatra Records
2026
I love the diversity of stuff I get sent for review here. From death, grind, thrash, and power metal to hardcore, punk, and traditional metal, the moments as a scribe here at BAP are never boring, and they always keep me on my toes. This self-titled offering from Every King Has A Clown is no exception.
It's not really that often in 2026 that bands will just drop their latest music without a bevy of promotional posts, reels, TikToks, or YouTube lyric or full-form music videos. Every King Has A Clown apparently didn't get that memo and have just sort of appeared out of nowhere. The band is a remote entity with ties to the Canary Islands and Sweden. They are headed up by bassist/songwriter Ryker Castro. EKHAC is his primary outlet, and according to the man himself, “Every King Has A Clown is my solo project. I created it to have total freedom over the songwriting, the sound, and the artistic direction. The idea was simple: write the record I always wanted to hear, with strong melodies, heavy energy, and no compromises. The jester-king on the album cover, named EKHAC, is the visual symbol of the project — the contrast between good and evil.” The music here straddles the fence between European/international power metal with progressive flourishes and the heavier side of modern hard rock.
Through twelve songs and a 45-minute playing time, the glaringly obvious strong point is the overall mix. Unless otherwise noted, Castro handled it himself, and the production is clean, crisp, and modern, with no individual instruments fighting for space, but all shining brightly and never drowning anything out. This is due in no small part to the superb mastering job by Tony Lindgren (Katatonia, Enslaved, Testament, Haken, and hundreds more) at his home base, Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden.
The album opener and lead single “Crucify Me” is a hook-laden, faster tune that has an infectious chorus and some excellent guitar work. This song also has some gothic touches à la HIM and The 69 Eyes. It's important to note here that Castro hasn't worked alone, as the album features a who’s who in the underground metal scene on several songs for vocals. Whilst he proves himself quite adept vocally, the aid of Mats Levén (Therion, Candlemass) on “Victim of the Night” propels the chugging rhythms, backed by mournful keyboard motifs and its mid-paced plod, into epic, somewhat doomier territory.
The album’s best track is no doubt “Revenge,” which features none other than Ray Alder (Fates Warning), and it's an exercise in the high-octane progressive metal he's known for, backed by galloping rhythms, soaring chorus vocals, time-signature changes, and multiple parts, all of which meld together seamlessly. Other standouts include the downtuned meanness and guitar shred of “Higher,” which recalls the magical partnership of Bruce Dickinson and Roy Z on the classic Accident of Birth album. Elsewhere, “The King Has Lost His Crown,” feat. Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen) blends melodic vocals, harmonized guitars, busy serpentine riffing, and start-stop dynamics. Lastly, I'll mention the most accessible track, the horns-up, party-esque, anthemic “All We Need Is Rock N’ Roll,” which has punctuated keyboards amongst a driving chorus and a sound not unlike ’80s KISS on steroids with otherworldly musicianship.
Now, put all of this together with Bastian Thusgaard (Soilwork) and his precision drumming, along with Fabio Alessandrini (Annihilator), Christian Palin (ex-Adagio), Berzan Önen (Deer From Space), Steve Braun (Halcyon Way), Anders Engberg (Sorcerer), Mike DiMeo (ex-Riot), and Mark Boals (Ring of Fire), and you've got a truly bulletproof cast of musicians giving Castro a hand in making sure these songs are undeniable.
I truly hope Castro continues collaborating with EKHAC, and that he is inspired for years to come, exploring the duality of man and the good and bad parts in all of us. If his soul searching keeps resulting in quality such as this, everyone who loves heavy-handed power/prog metal and memorable, catchy, goth-tinged hard rock wins…
-TB
RIYL- Queensryche, Fates Warning, HIM, Helloween, The 69 Eyes, Bruce Dickinson's solo work