Reluctant Hero

Reluctant Hero is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Killer Be Killed. It was released on November 20, 2020, by Nuclear Blast.[1]

Reluctant Hero
Studio album by
Killer Be Killed
ReleasedNovember 20, 2020
StudioHybrid Studios
Genre
Length47:42
LabelNuclear Blast
Killer Be Killed chronology
Killer Be Killed
(2014)		 Reluctant Hero
(2020)
Singles from Reluctant Hero
  1. "Deconstructing Self-Construction"
    Released: September 4, 2020
  2. "Dream Gone Bad"
    Released: October 13, 2020
  3. "Inner Calm from Outer Storms"
    Released: November 6, 2020
  4. "From a Crowded Wound"
    Released: November 20, 2020

Writing

The band began writing the album in 2016, before going to Hybrid Studios in California in 2018 to record the music. They then finished recording the vocals in 2019.[2]

Cover artwork

In an interview, guitarist Max Cavalera discussed the origins of the album cover:

"I'm really happy with how it came out, because I wasn't happy with the first one. I have a lot of these National Geographic magazines at home, and one had a story about haunted places in America. One of them was this cemetery in Cleveland, which has this really cool statue of an angel with a sword. I thought it would look so badass on an album cover — it almost looks like black metal — so I suggested to our label to find someone to go over and take a picture of the statue."[3]

Singles

On September 4, 2020, Killer Be Killed announced the release of the album, along with the first single "Deconstructing Self-Construction".[1]

The second single "Dream Gone Bad" was released on October 13, 2020.[4]

On November 6, 2020, the third single "Inner Calm from Outer Storms" was released.[5] In a press release, bass guitarist Troy Sanders said the single is "about having the ability to sense a distant or unseen target. It explores a journey of reckless abandon where the destination may, or may not, actually exist."[6] The single also featured on Consequence of Sound's Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2020.[7]

The fourth single, "From a Crowded Wound", was released on November 20, 2020, the same day as the album release.[8]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim!8/10[9]
Kerrang![10]
Louder Sound[11]
Spectrum Culture75%[12]
Sputnikmusic3.2/5[13]

Reluctant Hero was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 78 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of six reviews.[14]

Max Heilman of Exclaim! said the songs on the release are "elevating poppy ideas with explosive, multilayered musicality and hard-hitting emotion. Reluctant Hero proves metal can be catchy without being stupid."[9]

Accolades
Publications' year-end list appearances for Reluctant Hero
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref
Consequence of Sound Top 30 Metal/Hard Rock Albums of 2020 21 [15]
Kerrang! Top 50 Albums of 2020 22 [16]
Loudwire Top 70 Rock/Metal Albums of 2020 N/A [17]
Revolver Top 25 Albums of 2020 9 [18]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Deconstructing Self-Destruction"4:33
2."Dream Gone Bad"4:15
3."Left of Center"3:30
4."Inner Calm from Outer Storms"3:53
5."Filthy Vagabond"3:48
6."From a Crowded Wound"7:11
7."The Great Purge"4:13
8."Comfort from Nothing"4:18
9."Animus"1:08
10."Dead Limbs"4:48
11."Reluctant Hero"6:05

Charts
Sales chart performance for Reluctant Hero
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 45
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 46
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 52
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[22] 35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 69
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[24] 16
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[25] 47

Credits

References
  1. "Supergroup Killer Be Killed Announce New Album, Reluctant Hero". Kerrang!. September 4, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  2. ""This Was Just Too Damned Good To Let Go After One Album": Troy Sanders On The Return Of Killer Be Killed". Kerrang!. September 10, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  3. Bennett, J. (November 5, 2020). "Killer Be Killed's Max Cavalera Interview". Revolver. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  4. Carter, Emily (October 13, 2020). "Watch Killer Be Killed's Intense New Video For Dream Gone Bad". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  5. Ruskell, Nick (November 3, 2020). "Killer Be Killed Are Teasing A New Single". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  6. Hadusek, Jon (November 7, 2020). "Killer Be Killed Unleash New Song "Inner Calm from Outer Storms"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  7. "Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2020". Consequence of Sound. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  8. "Watch Killed Be Killed's stunning animated video for From A Crowded Wound". Louder Sound. November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  9. Heilman, Max (November 16, 2020). "Killer Be Killed Live Up to Their Supergroup Pedigree with 'Reluctant Hero'". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  10. Thomas, Olly (November 18, 2019). "Kerrang! Review". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  11. Hill, Stephen (November 16, 2020). "Killer Be Killed's Reluctant Hero: stellar return from modern metal's greatest supergroup". Louder Sound. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  12. Velluci, Justin (November 28, 2020). "Spectrum Culture review". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  13. K., Simon (December 1, 2020). "Sputnikmusic review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  14. "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  15. "Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020". Consequence of Sound. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  16. "The 50 Greatest Albums of 2020". Kerrang!. December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  17. Divita, Joe (November 30, 2020). "The 70 Best Rock and Metal Albums of 2020". Loudwire. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  18. Madden, Emma (November 25, 2020). "25 Best Albums of 2020". Revolver. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  19. "Australiancharts.com – Killer By Killed – Reluctant Hero". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Killer By Killed – Reluctant Hero" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Killer Be Killed – Reluctant Hero" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  22. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 48. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – Killer By Killed – Reluctant Hero". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  24. "Killer Be Killed Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  25. "Killer Be Killed Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
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