The Crown - Possessed 13
Metal Blade Records - 3984-14446-2 - 2003
By Philip Whitehouse
Well, this is probably the most overdue album review I've ever written - due to having to change jobs, move house and get my PC fixed, now I've finally gotten round to writing this review, the band have split up! Yep, sadly The Crown passed away earlier this month citing difficulties with the business end of things. So, this could be seen as something as an epitaph for this hard-working, admirably consistent and utterly essential group. This album marked the return of original vocalist Johan Lindstrand to the fold after rent-a-voice Tomas Lindberg turned up and barked some vocals over the last effort (presumably before munching a bottle of caffeine pills and rushing to another studio to record on someone else's disc), and re-stated exactly how good The Crown were.
Comparisons to Slayer, Entombed and the like are still as applicable as ever, but this is no bad thing - the production is absolutely fantastic, boasting a wonderfully growling bass guitar town and a good balance of melody and brutality. The drums clatter and clash with real force, and Johan's vocals are as guttural and impressive as ever. The riffage leans towards the old-school, sounding almost like Motorhead doing death metal at times! The mix of dirty rock, death and thrash metal makes for a varied and unswervingly brutal listen, though never falling into the trap of just blasting for the hell of it. Slower, crushing grooves like the instrumental 'Dream Bloody Hell' mix with full-speed-ahead juggernauts like the opening track 'No Tomorrow' to create an intense, heady mix of head-snapping brilliance.
Go buy. Right now. There probably isn't going to be an album of this quality or a band of this stature around again for a long time.
9/10
The Crown's Official Website
Metal Blade website
Metal Blade Records - 3984-14446-2 - 2003
By Philip Whitehouse
Well, this is probably the most overdue album review I've ever written - due to having to change jobs, move house and get my PC fixed, now I've finally gotten round to writing this review, the band have split up! Yep, sadly The Crown passed away earlier this month citing difficulties with the business end of things. So, this could be seen as something as an epitaph for this hard-working, admirably consistent and utterly essential group. This album marked the return of original vocalist Johan Lindstrand to the fold after rent-a-voice Tomas Lindberg turned up and barked some vocals over the last effort (presumably before munching a bottle of caffeine pills and rushing to another studio to record on someone else's disc), and re-stated exactly how good The Crown were.
Comparisons to Slayer, Entombed and the like are still as applicable as ever, but this is no bad thing - the production is absolutely fantastic, boasting a wonderfully growling bass guitar town and a good balance of melody and brutality. The drums clatter and clash with real force, and Johan's vocals are as guttural and impressive as ever. The riffage leans towards the old-school, sounding almost like Motorhead doing death metal at times! The mix of dirty rock, death and thrash metal makes for a varied and unswervingly brutal listen, though never falling into the trap of just blasting for the hell of it. Slower, crushing grooves like the instrumental 'Dream Bloody Hell' mix with full-speed-ahead juggernauts like the opening track 'No Tomorrow' to create an intense, heady mix of head-snapping brilliance.
Go buy. Right now. There probably isn't going to be an album of this quality or a band of this stature around again for a long time.
9/10
The Crown's Official Website
Metal Blade website
