The newly-elected metal sensation PRESIDENT has led a thriving campaign, but do you buy what he’s selling?
“No-one cared who I was, until I put on the mask.” So said Batman supervillain Bane to CIA operative Bill Wilson in the opening scene from The Dark Knight Rises – a scene that, though lost to countless memes over the years, does inadvertently raise an interesting point about art’s presentation. If, say, John Smith puts out a song, it’s easy for it to get lost in the shuffle of the thousands of songs released per day. If Smith disguised himself, gave himself an alternate name and didn’t reveal his identity (like PRESIDENT), more people would be inclined to at least see what it’s all about.
We’ve endlessly been drawn to musical mystery over the decades – from The Residents and TISM through to Deadmau5 and Marshmello. For whatever reason, however, it’s had a renaissance in metal of late; after years of just Slipknot and Mushroomhead zipping up their disguises, the explosion of popularity for bands like Ghost and Sleep Token have made anonymity the new black.
That’s where PRESIDENT comes into the fold. After being booked on Download Festival without a single song to their name in February, the (allegedly) UK four-piece – lead by eponymous figure The President – quickly found themselves with millions of streams and sold-out shows, as well as getting booked on tour with Architects (which will bring them to Australia this December). Needless to say, PRESIDENT has the world’s attention – and their debut EP, King of Terrors, showcases their intentions to keep it.
There are two means of viewing and judging the EP: via kayfabe, ie. accepting this as an anonymous entity, or in the context of The President’s real identity – which, while not being confirmed for obvious reasons, has become apparent to those paying attention. There’s intrigue to the latter, as PRESIDENT adds yet another fascinating pivot in this person’s career. In the spirit of New Yorkers keeping it secret when Spider-Man unmasked in Spider-Man 2, however, let’s treat this as a blank slate and analyse King of Terrors within its own separate canon. It’s a new beginning, after all; a new identity to mould and personify.
PRESIDENT’s first cut has indeed proven to be the deepest, with lead single and opening number ‘In the Name of the Father’ becoming one of 2025’s best tracks – let alone debut singles. The expansive, hook-driven cut impressively blends big-swinging alt-metal, throat-tearing post-hardcore, angular djent riffage and even the fluttering urgency of processed breakbeats.
‘Fearless’ follows suit, offering up an arena-sized chorus and a strengthened sense of dynamics between the colder, piano-driven electronica and the churning, downtuned guitars. It poses quite the sonic risk in its titular phrase, enlisting what sounds like a chorus of orphans from Oliver! or Les Miserables. It’s jarring at first, in a manner similar to Slipknot’s choir on ‘Unsainted’. However, much like ‘Unsainted’, you’ll soon grow to not imagine the song without it – an idea so out there, it works.
The President is an impressive and versatile vocalist, often barreling between piercing screams and a lower-register croon within the same song. The vocal processing used on his clean vocals appears to be quite similar to that of Cynic’s Paul Masvidal, blending raw human emotion with disaffected, artificial harmony. Therein lies the contrast of the persona: It’s coming from a personal place, but is quite literally disguised. Gimmick or no gimmick, it’s an intriguing prospect.
Of course, King of Terrors deals with its fair share of shortcomings – as basically all debut releases do. Its key issue is its disjointed nature, with the top-heavy nature meaning its back half peters out significantly. There’s a good song within ‘Destroy Me’, for instance, but its largely haphazard execution makes it feel like three demos have been forced into a single track.
‘Conclave’, too, is muddled by generic trap beats and a lazy, uninspired hook that sports the project’s worst lyrics: “Tell me, will I see you in the afterlife?/Shooting my guns at everyone.” Whatever overly-elaborate metaphor he’s going for, it falls flat on its face.
Essentially, King of Terrors falters when it’s gratuitous – see the piercing vocal production on ‘Rage’ that nearly derails the entire (otherwise solid) song, or the stilted rock-out pushed into the back-end of the mostly-electronic ‘Dionysus’. With great power comes great responsibility, and if PRESIDENT is going to live up to its potential as a project it needs to learn discipline, focus and calibration.
Not all of the gambles taken on King of Terrors pay off. The fact an artist was bold enough to take them in the first place, however, is to be wholly commended. PRESIDENT is an exciting prospect that dares to be different and apologises for nothing in doing so. With any luck, their campaign to seek re-election will result in stronger policies and – crucially – a sense of trust with the public at large.
King of Terrors by PRESIDENT is out now via King of Terrors / ADA. It can be streamed here.
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