After more than five years since releasing 'Doomsday King', The Crown is back to
claim their throne again in the thrashing death metal scene. With old members
Johan Lindstran, Marko Tervonen and Magnus Olsfelt in the line-up, completed with
new guitarist Robin Sörgvist and drummer Henrik Axelsson, who has already left
the band before the recordings. At the moment the band has no drummer... Who
did play the drums on the new album then? It is a well kept secret so far, but
guitarist Marko Tervonen did!!
This new album is an
almost perfect mix of death and thrash metal the way it should be. The songs on the
album are in a same kind of style as their albums 'Deathrace King' and 'Crowned
in Terror'. Old school thrash
meets Swedish death metal. Just listen to the song "Iblis Bane" full of d-beats
and the death influenced thrash track "Struck By Lightning" and you got an idea
what I mean. Add on top of that a vocalist (Johan Lindstran), who shouts and
grunts aggressive as a caged mad dog and you have the perfect music. Johan has
the ideal voice for more thrashy parts and he also rules when real grunting is
needed. With "Speed Kills" and "Ride to Ruin" there are two songs on the album I
think are not as strong as the others and towards the end of the album the weakest song, the instrumental "Meduseld" passes by.
But fortunately the mighty closing track "Godeater"
is a real hammer in which Johan tortures his lungs in a way Adam
Darski (Behemoth) does.
With such a great closing song, I have to conclude that after an almost six
years hiatus The Crown is back with an above average album.
