Look, there’s no getting round this, and let’s not beat around the bush – “Crown of Thorns” is pretty much a shoe-in for my album of the year. This has been a good year for releases, but really, nothing has held a candle to this for me. It’s right up there with the best of this excellent band – and in some ways even better.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For those of you not in the know, The Crown (previously known as Crown of Thorns on their first two albums way back in the mid-90’s) are a raging death-thrash band from Sweden. It’s fair to say that their history has been…interesting. They’ve essentially been anchored by guitarist Marko Tervonen, and in their past have enjoyed a plethora of vocalists, but essentially the definitive singer for the Crown is the tremendous Johan Lindstrand. Marcus Sunesson also makes a very welcome return here after an absence of a dozen years, bringing his excellent axe skills back to the fray. Mikael Norén (drums) and bassist Mattias Rasmussen have both joined in 2022, and they bring a couple of different dynamics. I was really struck throughout about how the insane drumming brought to mind the maddest parts of 1998’s “Hell is Here” album, and Mattias’ bass is pretty aggressive in the playing.
Later The Crown albums, especially those with the return of Lindstrand, such as 2018’s “Cobra Speed Venom” and 2021’s “Royal Destroyer”, have been heads-down, death-thrash of the most raging order. Crown of Thorns is not that record. Yes, of course, there are plenty of moments where the tempo is not unlike being strapped into a roller-coaster that has jets strapped to the back, such as lead-single and Slayer love-letter, “Church Burner, and the frenetic opener “I Hunt With The Devil” (which, improbably, sounds like classic Emperor being asked to cover Destruction). There are also plenty of really interesting influences here, which really elevate this above the pack.
It’s no secret that the band are fans of Paradise Lost; they covered “Eternal” on their 2015 “Death is Not Dead” album. What’s clear here is that the band have decided to add some of those trademark melodies into their work, perhaps to let some of the gothic-rock moments come more to the fore in their music. If you’re struggling to figure out how you manage to have those subtleties in the form of manic, teeth-gnashing extremity, I don’t blame you – but manage it they do. “Martyrian” manages to bring to mind the melodic sensibilities of the band’s own “Possessed 13” album, but with the kind of downbeat sections and guitar tone mixed in that you’ll recall from Lost’s “Icon” platter. “Gone to Hell” could really have been recorded by the Halifax miserabilists more recent albums, with riffs hookier than the end-section of VHS Hellraiser.
“Howling at the Warfield” does exactly what it says on the tin – a furious, thrashing beast of a track that goes straight for the jugular. Impossibly, there’s an even more aggressive track on here – the lightspeed (and I have no idea how riffing was done this quickly) “The Agitator”, which is so rapid it makes listening to Reign in Blood feel like Crowbar. The band decided to tune up, after a few albums tuning down – and to be honest it helps the melodies cut through and connect with the heaviness. It’s a stroke of genius. You’ll struggle to find a more chugging section than that on “Where Nightmares Belong”, with the rhythm section producing an Overkill-like tour-de-force while the guitars just slice through with razor-sharp melodies. It’s really sublime.
Production-wise – this is just about perfect. It’s sharp, powerful and when the surprises come – as with the brief female vocals at t the end of “Where Nightmares Belong”, you’ll marvel at how it all comes together. There’s an alchemy to this record which just feels like The Crown are in a really purple patch, creatively. The six-minute plus closer, “The Storm That Comes”, with classic-rock solos and anthemic vocals, are a fitting end to a ride that’s as exhilarating as it is breathless.
The Crown own the crown of best death-thrash band on the planet, bar none – and this may just be the best album they’ve put out in over twenty years.
(9/10 Chris Davison)
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