Kings of Metal MMXIV

Kings of Metal MMXIV is a complete new recording of the 1988 album Kings of Metal, marking twenty-five years since that record and its 1989 world tour. In July 2013 the band said it was recording what it then called Kings of Metal 2014; by the autumn the title had become Kings of Metal MMXIV. Producer and bassist Joey DeMaio said the idea grew out of talks about how to celebrate the anniversary, and a tour playing the whole album followed from it. Everything was recorded anew; he credited better strings, pickups, pre-amps, microphones and recording methods with letting the band fit more sound on a record. The songs were rearranged. The provisional list of December 2013 kept the 1988 order minus "Pleasure Slave", which was not re-recorded, but the final one opens with "Hail and Kill MMXIV" and closes the main disc with "On Wheels of Fire MMXIV", and two provisional titles became "Thy Kingdom Come MMXIV" and "Thy Crown and Thy Ring MMXIV". "The Blood of the Kings MMXIV" has new lyrics saluting the countries the band had played. On the spoken-word "A Warrior's Prayer MMXIV" the British actor Brian Blessed, known for films such as Flash Gordon, recorded a new narration in 2013, with sound design by Hollywood effects specialist Hamilton Sterling. DeMaio's bass solo "The Sting of the Bumblebee MMXIV" is played at 300 beats per minute. According to the booklet, Dirk Kloiber recorded and edited the album at the band's own studios, Hell and Haus Wahnfried; Rich Breen mixed it at Dogmatic Studios, and DeMaio mastered it with Kloiber. Eric Adams sings, Karl Logan plays guitar, Donnie Hamzik drums and Joe Rozler keyboards. Ken Kelly painted two new pictures that carry on his 1988 work, with the flags of the countries the band had played. The digital album went out worldwide in February 2014, as the band's American tour began; the two-CD Silver Edition, with two 24-page booklets, was moved from 28 February to 21 March. The CD reached No. 55 on the German albums chart.