Battalions - Forever Marching Backwards

When King Of A Dead World arrived on 21 October 2022, Battalions weren’t just stepping back into the fray — they were reloading. Their fourth full-length via APF Records stands as both reckoning and rallying cry: eight tracks of guttural riffs, relentless groove, and lyrics that refuse to look away.

Emerging from the collapse — climate, society, empathy — the album’s title came from a phrase bassist Matt Dennett saw in an article: “who wants to be the king of a dead world?” It became more than a name; it became the pulse behind the music.

Veteran voices remain, but with change: a new drummer in Simon Harrison, a shift in production to No Studio in Manchester with Joe Clayton (known for his work with Pijn), and mastering by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. The result is darker, rawer in all the right ways, yet more immediate — the groove hits you as hard as the anger.

Track-by-track, there’s no let-up. From Green Boots through to the title track King Of A Dead World, each song throbs with tension, from the haunted calm of choruses to the havoc of riffs and vocals that cut through like a blade. Songs like Diagnosis Fucked, Bones To Dust, No Safe Place — they each carry their own malaise, but together they build a portrait of decay, disillusion, and fight.

Visually and thematically, the album leans into its ‘new start’ framing: artwork by James Fenwick echoes the grim, raw intensity of the music; packaging and format choices nod to heritage but with a sharpened edge.

More than anything, King Of A Dead World is a resurrection. It’s Battalions breathing life into sludge, hardcore, fury and groove — reminding us that even in rust, there’s something that can still burn bright.

BATTALIONS
'Forever Marching Backwards

A1. Forever Marching Backwards
A2. Cities Of Ruin
A3. Goat Feeder
A4. Vaseline (G)Love

B1: Tyskie Vampire
B2: Infinite Void
B3: Brick Hole
B4: Devil's Footsteps

Battalions is:
Phil Wilkinson - Vocals
Pete Cross - Guitars
Matthew Dennett - Bass
Matt Walker - Drums

Guest vocals on Devil's Footsteps by Dave Rowlands
Guest sick on Tyskie Vampire by John Nicholson

All songs written by Battalions

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studio
Artwork by Daggersforteeth
Photography by JWA Photography

C&P Battalions 2018
Released by APF Records under exclusive license