The Kings are back! If there’s one thing guaranteed to put a smile on my face in these mirth-free days, it’s a record from the Swedish masters of all things raging and furious, The Crown. While they should need no introduction, let me sum them up for you in a few short sentences. The Crown are one of the most criminally under-rated bands in the history of Extreme Metal. That’s not to say that they are unknown, but their output has been almost universally fantastic, and if you are a fan of anything thrash, melodic death or extreme, then this is a band you simply must get to know. Following some mid-career turbulence which saw the amazing Johan Lindstrand replaced by you-know-who from some band called At The Gates (and as it goes, I prefer Crowned Unholy to Crowned in Terror – The Crown aren’t the Crown without Lindstrand), they’ve hit us with some absolute bangers in 2015’s furious “Death is not Dead”, and the huge return to form of 2018’s “Cobra Speed Venom”.
Of course, after a couple of fantastic albums, can “Royal Destroyer” really make it three in a row? (Sorry chaps, 2010’s “Doomsday King” didn’t do it for me). The answer, is a resounding YES. Everything you love about The Crown is here, present and correct – except turned up to 11. Oh, you want a statement of intent? How about opener “Baptized in Violence”, which packs enough ferocity into its opening 1:18 that it would fill most other albums. “Let The Hammering Begin!” has that swagger and self-assured sonic-shoulder barge that a full strength The Crown can deliver. What is the secret to their power? Actually, I think they’ve got a winning formula in their paint-stripping death/thrash bombast, but also a special alchemy between the long-time collaborators of Magnus Osfelt (bass), the keen ear for melody that works with brutality supplied by fantastic song-writer Marko Tervonen (guitar) and of course the rock-n-roll take on extremity that the Lemmy of death metal, Johan Lindstrand (vocals) provides. Robin Sorqvvist (guitars since 2013) and Henrik Axelsson (drums) are also perfectly in synch with what it means to be in The Crown, providing the most stable line up the band has had in an absolute age.
By the time the excellently titled “Motordeath” speeds onto the scene, you should already be thinking something like – “this is the best The Crown album since Deathrace King”. To be fair, the turbo-charged velocity of the track, – equal parts petrol-powered thrasher and a rumbling, V8 of a chorus – makes this a breathless listen. “Ultra Faust” (because normal Fausts are so 16th century, right kids?) is a sinister, slowed down number that gets as close to Candlemass – in feel if not in tempo – that The Crown have ever been, before once again putting the pedal to the metal and going for more beats per minute than your poseur ass can handle. “Glorious Hades” brings the stomp, with an ominous tempo and crushing martial take to the central riffing that brings to mind a more effective Hail of Bullets. “Full Metal Justice”, aside from having a title that sounds like a lesser-known Japanese Anime, continues the full metal bombast, with those trademark axe accents that elevate the crew above many of their peers. “Scandinavian Satan” has the kind of vibe of a modern-day take on their classic “Total Satan” from 2000, while “Devoid of Light” brings some of the Angel Blake moodiness to the huffing and puffing of the 9 billion bpm thrashing. “We Drift On” is as close as you’re ever going to find The Crown drifting (sic) into ballad territory, while “Beyond the Frail”, with its subtle nod to classical music in the intro, proves a fitting ending to the opus.
So, “Royal Destroyer” then? It’s a really strong album, and certainly deserves to be considered alongside the better releases from this venerable band. Can you believe they’ve been together (in this guise) since 1998? They’ve got more energy and ideas than bands half their age, and at this rate there is no sign of them slowing down.
(9/10 Chris Davison)
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