The Crown have made their triumphant return after a seven year absence. The musicians have all returned, but with a new vocalist, Jonas Stalhammar, formerly of God Macabre. The Swedish group had previously created their own sound through their brand of hyper-frenetic thrash/melodeath metal. This album is a return of that sound.The first thing you notice is that the speed is definitely back. There is a bit more melody and harmony this time around, but The Crown still play fast and furious. Riffs fly by at a mile a minute and take no prisoners. The Crown does occasionally slow down a little bit and inject some dark atmosphere into their sound. This does come as a welcome change since a high intensity riffing speedfest for an entire album can get a little old. The Crown know this and have changed pace at some point on all of their albums for a little fresh perspective.
The new vocalist sounds great within the confines of the band's sound. He possesses a harsh screaming vocal style that is very similar to the band's other vocalists. He sounds right at home with The Crown.
The Crown has not missed a beat with this album, even though it has been seven long years since their last release. The album does bog down a little bit as it goes on and some of the songs do start to sound pretty similar to each other, but this is definitely a welcome release from a band that did not stick around long enough before.
I am very impressed with this album. The Crown has finally returned and they have not lost any of the edge that they previously had.
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