Kill or Be Killed (song)
| "Kill or Be Killed" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of the Felsmann + Tiley reinterpretation | ||||
| Single by Muse | ||||
| from the album Will of the People | ||||
| Released | 21 July 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:00 | |||
| Label | Warner | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Matt Bellamy | |||
| Producer(s) | Muse | |||
| Muse singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Kill or Be Killed" on YouTube | ||||
"Kill or Be Killed" is a song by the English rock band Muse. It was released on 21 July 2022 as the fourth single ahead of their ninth studio album Will of the People, having already debuted in live format during festival shows of their Will of the People World Tour. It was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
Release history
"Kill or Be Killed" was debuted in live format at the 4 June 2022 show of the Will of the People World Tour, at the Rock am Ring music festival in Germany, during which the previous single "Will of the People" also received its live debut. "Kill or Be Killed" was played as the first song of the encore, before the closing song "Knights of Cydonia", and without any official prior announcement from the band.[1]
"Kill or Be Killed" was subsequently played at every following show of the tour, emerging as a fan favourite. On 14 July, Muse confirmed through social media that "Kill or Be Killed" would be released as the fourth single ahead of Will of the People one week later on 21 July 2022, with a thirty-second snippet of the studio version of the song becoming available to preview through TikTok later that day.[2]
Writing and composition
Prior to the live debut of "Kill or Be Killed", in an interview with Apple Music 1 on 17 March 2022, Matt Bellamy described "Kill or Be Killed" as "the best metal/prog track we've ever done", featuring "industrial-tinged, granite-heavy guitar riffs".[3] Music journalists described "Kill or Be Killed" as progressive metal,[4][5] heavy metal,[6] alternative metal,[7] and metalcore.[8]
For the guitar solo, Bellamy combined a tapping technique with a DigiTech Whammy, a pitch-shifting pedal, to shift rapidly between octaves. He said, "I'm plainly cheating in that solo ... It sounds like I’m doing insane arpeggios. I'm not a shredder at all. I've never been a very good shredder, but I found ways to cut corners."[9]
Charts
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Sales (OCC)[10] | 81 |
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[11] | 80 |
| UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[12] | 20 |
| US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[13] | 37 |
References
- ^ Shutler, Ali (5 June 2022). "Watch Muse perform new song 'Kill Or Be Killed' as they kick off summer tour". NME. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "You've been asking for it… Kill Or Be Killed, out 21st July 3pm BST". Instagram. Muse. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "Muse Announces New Album 'Will Of The People'". Bass Magazine. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "Muse – Will Of The People". Clash. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Weller, Phil (25 August 2022). "Muse - Will of The People: "hardly short on flamboyant outlandishness"". Prog. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ O'Connor Marotta, Micheal (21 July 2022). "Muse bring the heavy metal artillery on 'Kill Or Be Killed'". Vanyaland. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Simon K. (24 August 2022). "Review: Muse - Will of the People". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ Ragusa, Paolo (26 August 2022). "Muse's Will of the People is Vague, Jumbled, and Unimaginative: Review". Consequence. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ Charupakorn, Joe (11 August 2022). "Muse's Matt Bellamy: Natural-Born Disruptor". Premier Guitar.
- ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Muse Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
