Yes, this dude came from American Idol. Yes, there’s more cheese in these four and a half minutes than in a Swiss Colony catalog. Yes, I’m banging my head and throwing horns with a big, stupid grin on my face because it’s glorious.
James Durbin competed on the 10th season of American Idol. While not the first rocker on the show, he was the first true metal guy and did surprisingly well, finishing fourth despite the pop focus of the contest. After the show ended, he released a series of albums, but none of what I heard really did much for me. He also did a stint as the vocalist for Quiet Riot, and while his live performances with the band were good, the two studio albums that he worked on with them (Road Rage and Hollywood Cowboys) were lackluster.
So, he hadn’t done anything very interesting to me … until now.
With his latest eponymous project, Durbin finally raises his horns high and completely embraces his metal roots. The first single, a duet called “Kings Before You” with pro wrestler/Fozzy vocalist Chris Jericho which also features guitarist Phil Demmel of Vio-lence and Machine Head, made that perfectly clear. I almost didn’t listen when it popped up, but I was glad I did. “Kings Before You” was old-school leather-and-spikes, sword-and-sorcery heavy metal with absolutely no apologies. He’s leveled that up with “The Prince of Metal.”
Durbin was the guy responsible for getting Judas Priest to appear on American Idol, and he definitely doesn’t shy away from the influence they had on him in this track. Quite the opposite. He leans into it, delivering his best Rob Halford shrieks throughout. You can also hear other classic artists like Dio and Iron Maiden, along with the over-the-top fantasy lyrical stylings of bands like Manowar. He delivers the chorus line, “raise thy horns, bang thy heads, the prince of metaaaaaal” with great conviction, but also a bit of a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the cheesiness of it all.
Meanwhile, Durbin spends the whole video prancing around in a crown and cape swinging a sword at trees and battling a goblin. There’s a clear gleeful joy in what he’s doing, as goofy as it may be, that only strengthens the performance.
Aside from the fun and nostalgia bit, though, “The Prince of Metal” is musically quite entertaining. The galloping Steve Harris-style bassline drives the song at a frenetic pace, and the melodies are killer. One listen, and much of the song was stuck in my head. Us old codgers who grew up on the metal in the early to mid-1980s are almost guaranteed to enjoy it, even though some of them will probably feel the obligation to dismiss it because of who Durbin is.
American Idol, admittedly, is a tough path to a legitimate standing in the metal community. Because of his start on the show, many metal fans will forever label Durbin a “poser” – and quite a few will probably feel as though he’s making fun of the music. What I see and hear, though, is James Durbin finally fully embracing who he is and what he loves. I hear a guy having a lot of fun, not taking himself too seriously, and making some outstanding throwback music that any old metalhead is sure to enjoy, if they can put aside his past.
“The Prince of Metal” is catchy and incredibly fun, and I think 2020 needs a whole lot more of that. You can gripe about the American Idol guy ruining metal if you want, but I’ll be banging my head and looking forward to raiding the dragon’s hoard for more tasty treasures when The Beast Awakens arrives in February.
