The Crown – Crown of Thorns
Release Date: 11th October 2024
Label: Metal Blade Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Extreme Metal.
FFO: The Haunted, Hypocrisy, At the Gates, early In Flames, God Dethroned.
Review By: Rick Farley
For me, Sweden’s death/thrash metal icons The Crown have always been a band that I feel has been severely underrated and underappreciated. Never actually releasing any duds over the course of thirty years or so, the band did have some deserved recognition in the mid to late nineties, but for the most part, they are just not talked about enough, as some of the other well-known Scandinavian bands of the same time period are. Their unapologetic commitment to pure unadulterated thrashy death metal with an aggressive, punky, shred missile aimed straight at your face is a metal trope that’s often lost these days. This is not music for the weak hearted or boring shoegazers. Speedy, attacking death metal at its most intense, The Crown are releasing album number twelve, Crown of Thorns (their original name for their first eight years as a band) full of hellfire via Metal Blade Records.
Rest assured, for those of you that are fans already, The Crown are not resting on their laurels and continue to rekindle the fire and ferocity while still honouring their roots. This sounds exactly as you hoped it would, pissed off, frantic, heavy, fast-paced and with a melodicism that enhances the impact rather than lessens it. Tracks like opener I Hunt with the Devil gets right to death dealing with near black metal recklessness and a thrashy pummelling akin to 2018’s Cobra Speed Venom. Raging from beginning to end, this track immediately lets you know that all is well in The Crown camp. Track two Churchburner continues the assaulting pace with some speed metal tremolo picked crunch that’s fast enough to ignite right on the spot. Full on thrash, steamrolling at maximum speed, is enough to level an entire city. Hooky, shredding and brutally fast, what more could you ask for. The closing track, The Storm that Comes, gives off strong NWOBHM vibes riff wise, which take a turn towards more open airiness to explore different atmospheres. Three bonus tracks are included, which are cool for the fans but might make the album feel a bit too long or even some tracks as filler for newer listeners.
Crown of Thorns was mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren of Black Lounge Studios. Resulting in a full toned, modern sounding blast of raw energy. The record sounds vicious, sharp, and huge in scope without losing any intensity. The band has also changed tuning a little closer to their original tuning, which results in a crisper attack from the riffs. Absolutely a welcomed sound in today’s world of super low tunings.
Some could say that Crown of Thorns is a bit safe in terms of the band’s overall sound, but honestly for me when I listen to records like this, it’s because I am looking to get my ass kicked by some straight thrashy death metal, and having a good fucking time doing it, nothing more, nothing less. Sure, The Crown have developed a sound and for the most part, have stuck by that sound for most of their careers, possibly being the reason their often overlooked, but I will gladly take a band that’s been releasing solid fucking metal for thirty years over any band forcefully growing and exploring themselves only to alienate their fanbase. Fun thrashy death metal well worth your time.
(3.5 / 5)
