Back to basics for The Crown!
To mark its twelfth album, the band led by Marko Tervonen (guitar, Lady Mourning) and Johan Lindstrand (vocals, ex-One Man Army and the Undead Quartet) has recruited Mattias “Arvid” Rasmussen (bass), Mikael Norén (drums, Impious) and former founding guitarist Marcus Sunesson (Cyhra, Engel, ex-Night Crowned). Crown of Thorns (the band’s former name, incidentally) was released in 2024 by Metal Blade Records.
I Hunt with the Devil is the first track to hit, and it’s a no-holds-barred affair to say the least: between the blistering blast, the cutting leads and the ferocious vocal parts, it’s all about aggression! The riffs surge forward at a steady pace, despite a calmer, more ominous passage, before Churchburner takes its place in an imposing, energetic dynamic where double pedal reigns supreme, while the guitars and vocals add an interesting heaviness. A few more dissonant parts accompany the end of the track, which leads into Martyrian and its strong Old School influences, allowing the band to create piercing melodies that look great against the waves of rage. We continue with the dark Gone to Hell, which places ominous tones between more energetic moments, creating a catchy contrast with the Death and Thrash influences that speed off again on Howling at the Warfield. The songwriting still has a few unexpected parts in store, such as the intriguing murmurs that allow the band to temporize before returning to aggression, then adopting a heavier approach with The Night Is Now, which lets the lead guitar act quasi-permanently, anchored on simple, heavy riffs. God-King picks up speed again and lacerates us with bloody melodies, but the track is quite short, and gives way to the even shorter The Agitator, which doesn’t waste a moment to strike with all its power over a very brisk tempo. With no time to breathe, we move on to Where Nightmares Belong, where the pace remains quite wild, but the choruses suddenly become much more melodious and accessible, and a soothing female vocal provides the transition to The Storm That Comes, the last and longest composition. Although it gets off to a very gentle start, the rhythmics soon pick up again to ensure a solid but rather cold sound steeped in unifying heavy metal, making for an effective final.
Some versions of the album contain a few extras, starting with Eternally Infernal, which quickly returns to a frenetic rhythm to set the stage for dissonant melodies and a few backing vocals. The last charge takes us to No Fuel for God, where the rhythm section delivers relatively solid riffs that trample us underfoot, while the leads allow themselves more cutting flights of fancy, while Mind Collapse lets its savagery express itself at a high tempo, drawing on its most aggressive roots to convince us.
It’s no surprise that The Crown‘s Death/Thrash roots allow them to give free rein to their aggression on Crown of Thorns. The Swedes have produced an uncompromising album, as they know how.
90/100