Album Review: Kensei – With Death I Walk (Self Released)

Hailing from the West Midlands, forged in The Black Country, Kensei are a melodic death metal band about to release their debut album, ‘With Death I Walk’. This album is a full-length release of their previous demos; rerecorded, remixed, and remastered. It is out on May 17th, 2025.

Known across the UK for their ferocious live performances, Kensei now give those who have not seen them live a chance to hear what all the fuss is about. Setting the scene with a cinematic intro that leads wonderfully in the frenzied End of Days. This is where you get to hear and feel the full power of this band as they unleash a cacophony of heaviness, warped by thrilling melodic elements. It’s a huge sounding melodeath effort, getting the heart pounding in the chest and the blood pumping in the veins.

The bar has been set high, the neck muscles should be well and truly warmed up, and Kensei are just getting started. Bringing forth even more riotous noise with Lucid, a track with erratic rhythms, emphatic drums, and enigmatic groove. Then dropping a stylish and classic melodeath sound with the mighty Paralysis, which has a chorus that just soars and a guitar solo that screams. Both are absolute bangers and liable to be many a listener’s personal favourite of the record.

They have layers too, and it’s exciting to hear them push their own limits and the creative understanding of what melodic death metal is, and can be, with The Light. More elaborate, more progressive, and more intense, it’s a powerful listen. Which might not seem like much to get excited about, after all, Kensei deal in passion and power, but this particular track just feels more modern.

Bringing back cinematic elements, the intro to No Remorse is very cool, and when it kicks in, it’s the kind of track that starts a pit or two. Kensei at their fastest and at their heaviest. It’s another bullish beast that you can’t help but love. I certainly do.

No matter your personal familiarity with melodeath as a whole, when it’s good, you know it, and Kensei deliver a ton of genuinely brilliant melodeath with this album. So much so that it feels criminal that they aren’t being talked about across the world. Right up to the end, this album slays. Pariah’s frenetic instrumentation will give you heart palpitations, Nodachi has the kind of groovy guitars and big chorus that automatically gets the head banging along, and the title track has the kind of garish intensity that you expect from the more extreme side of the scene.

Each is simply fantastic though, but that’s the summation of the album, a fantastic record with eight (plus a cool intro) absolute bangers. Don’t miss out on hearing this one, Kensei deserve all your attention.

Kensei – With Death I Walk Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. End of Days
3. Lucid
4. Paralysis
5. The Light
6. No Remorse
7. Pariah
8. Nodachi
9. With Death I Walk

Links

LinkTree | Facebook | Instagram | X