Theresa Gaffney
Mix a little esports and a little Dethklok and you have League of Legends supergroup Pentakill. According to Riot and the artists themselves, this formidable fictional metal band with real-life roots will be returning soon with a third album.
Who is Pentakill?
Pentakill was created in 2014 to promote in-game skins designed to have a heavy metal band look. The band is essentially the brainchild of Riot Games’ composers and sound designers, along with guest musicians that flesh out the power metal sound. When Pentakill’s debut album came out, it gained a respectable following from League and music fans alike thanks to the talent involved. Riot also saw considerable turnaround on the band’s related skin sales. The project’s second album came out in 2017, surprising many by hitting the Billboard Top 40 and taking the number 1 spot on the iTunes metal chart.
If you’re new to the world of Pentakill, you’ll “recognize” summoners like Karthus, Yorick, Sona, Olaf and, of course, lead guitarist Mordekaiser “the Master of Metal” in the lineup. These figures are fleshed out by notable metal musicians like Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, Masterplan’s Jørn Lande, Nine Inch Nails’ Danny Lohner and Noora Louhimo of Battle Beast, among others.
About Pentakill’s return
News of Pentakill’s return first came via Riot’s creative director Christian “Praeco” Linke, who answered questions about it on a League subreddit post last month. He spoke about the development of the music and his personal ethos about metal:
“Usually we come up with a list of metal sub genres that we want to make sure we cover. Like on the first one, we knew we wanted to have something kind of classic and anthemic (lightbringer), something fast and fun (deathfire), something djenty (ohmwrecker), etc— so we gotta find what’s “next” for us to explore. Strong melodies is always at the core. Too much metal is just a bunch of effing distorted noise these days.”
It looks like Riot Games has enlisted the talent of Tre Watson to take Pentakill to another melodic level. It was confirmed by the musician himself that he is now employed by the company and will be working on the third album’s release. No information has been revealed about a release date or content to accompany it, but fans will no doubt be eagerly awaiting new tunes and new skins to fit the collective heavy metal mood.
Loading…