Reign Of Glory Prepares Its Third Album | The Third Is Coming
Their debut album was “All Will Bow” in 2022, and last year they released “Slingshot,” a truly devastating album, and most importantly—at least for us—rooted in traditional Metal and Hard Rock with that signature ’80s vibe and a sound adapted to the times.
It couldn’t be any other way. With the legendary Mark Boals at the helm, and a lineup that includes Nick Layton, Jeffrey McCormack, and Juan VanDunk—all of whom have extensive Metal experience under their belts—it’s hard to imagine Reign Of Glory’s music being anything other than a showcase of great riffs, heavy beats, and plenty of melody.
Less than a year has passed since the release of “Slingshot,” and Reign Of Glory is already thinking about its successor, although for now the band is in the early stages of the new album. “We are about 5 songs in to the pre-production phase on the new album!”, Reign Of Glory drummer Jeffrey McCormack told us. “Nick Layton (guitar) and Mark Boals (vocals) have written some really fantastic pieces, and Juan VanDunk (bass) and myself are chomping at the bit to put our crushing signatures on them!” he added.
The last we heard from Reign Of Glory was their cover of Stryper’s “To Hell With The Devil,” which they recorded for the album celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of White Metal’s seminal works—an impressive rendition.
Apparently, the musical direction of Reign Of Glory’s new album won’t undergo major changes, which in itself is good news. According to what Jeffrey told us, “This is the sophomore album for 3 of the guys in this lineup of Reign of Glory, (first one for Juan) so the overall sound is wonderfully similar, but as you can imagine, we now have a much more developed comfort and rhythm from having worked together before in studio and live”; but that’s not all. The band’s collaborative effort has achieved significant cohesion among all the parts that make up the Reign of Glory project, successfully capturing a strong sense of continuity, and that is especially evident in their latest release, “Slingshot.” In that regard, McCormack states, “I believe you can hear us all settle in and find our secure spots where we can more fully express ourselves as a cohesive unit!”
One of the most striking aspects (and especially to the ear) is that Reign Of Glory isn’t just Metal/Hard Rock firmly rooted in the ’80s sound, with great songs and a concise, excellent production—but, as if that weren’t enough, it’s all crowned by Mark Boals’ vocals. Yes, the very same man who was the vocalist for Yngwie Malmsteen’s project, as well as many other projects within the Metal scene. He is the one who lends his voice so that each of Reign Of Glory’s compositions has its own brilliance, and of course, this new work that is beginning to take shape has him back in its ranks.
In this regard, Jeffrey McCormack confirms that Mark Boals is once again part of the team. “Absolutely, Mark IS our vocalist!” said Jeffrey. “He and Nick write with incredible skill and efficiency… in fact, the chemistry with all 4 of the band members is unlike any I’ve ever seen… we were instantly brothers the moment we all met, and its just gotten better as we’ve experienced what God is doing in our lives and through our music together!”, confirming the cohesion among Reign Of Glory’s members that has yielded such great results.
And we’re not exaggerating when we say that Mark Boals tops everything good that Reign Of Glory does. Jeffrey McCormack himself agrees with us on this. “He brings EVERYTHING to this band with passion and fire! His voice has always been extraordinary, and is just as flawless today as it was in his Yngwie days….. even some ways better! His writing is fantastic, his education in phrasing and composition are a tremendous gift”, the Reign Of Glory drummer told us.
Apparently, Jeffrey is just as amazed by Mark Boals as everyone who knows his work in the various projects he’s been involved in—besides Yngwie Malmsteen, of course—but there’s also the human side, and in that regard he told us, “He is a wonderful, humble and authentic human being and brother in Christ. With us, hes not “MARK BOALS FORMER VOCALIST OF YNGWIE”…he’s our brother.”
And that’s not all—there’s a fun fact, the kind that’s always good to share, and which, in this case, really shows what a vocalist Mark Boals is. McCormack tells us that to record the vocal tracks for “Slingshot,” Mark recorded all the vocals in his cabin on a cruise ship! “This guy is a phenomenon!!!!!” he says, something we wholeheartedly agree with.
The new album is in the works, currently in pre-production, which is why we don’t have too many details yet. “We haven’t yet nailed down the title or artwork”, Jeffrey McCormack told us, “…but since we are pushing for late summer / early fall release, it won’t be long before we will be sharing all the goodies, and we are seriously so excited to get it to the world!!!” confirmed the Reign Of Glory drummer, who kindly agreed to this interview. What is certain is that, just as with “Slingshot,” this new album will once again be released by Roxx Records, a label that by now deserves an award for all the effort they put into continuing to release physical formats and supporting so many Metal projects!
Reign Of Glory confirmed their strong momentum as a band with “Slingshot,” but the guys are aiming for more. With Mark Boals at the helm and a solid lineup, the band is going for more, to build on all the great things they already demonstrated with their latest release.
Here are two tracks from Reign Of Glory. One is “Higher Ground,” from their latest album “Slingshot,” and the other is their cover of Stryper’s “To Hell With The Devil,” which we mentioned earlier. And of course, here are the band’s social media links so you can stay up to date on everything related to Reign Of Glory….
https://www.facebook.com/ReignofGlory777
