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Crowne: Kings Of The North
Crowne - Kings Of The North Album Art

Crowne: Kings Of The North

Melodic Heavy Metal Rock
4.5/5.0

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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 16.06.2021 | Released: 18.06.2021

Sweden has always been a bastion for melodic hard rock and heavy metal bands, and musicians of tremendous talent. So, here's the new band Crowne which features some Swedish musical heavy weights: vocalist Alexander Strandell (Art Nation), guitarist/keyboardist/producer Jona Tee (H.E.A.T.), bassist John Levén (Europe), drummer Christian Lundqvist (The Poodles). For their debut album, Kings Of The North, the band invited Dynazty guitarist Love Magnusson to rip of the fret board for the guitar solos.

Crowne - Click For Larger Image

Crowne

I'm going to cut to the chase with this review. Fundamentally, if you like classic melodic hard rock with the strength and sting of a heavy metal edge, you will enjoy this album. I did, but with some caveats, or perhaps only one. But before I get to that, it's enough to say that musicianship among these talented fellows is at a premium. And the songwriting is equally professional. Mostly, the songs are edgy riff rockers, often injected with speed, and rounded out by song melody, crafty refrains, synths here and there, and soaring guitar solos. My caveat is simply this: there's a repetitiveness to the songs, enough redundancy that they seem almost mechanical as if the were mass produced like widgets. Exceptions may come. One stand out was with Mad World with a synth symphonic breakdown, before a furious solo, and the following voice and piano segue. Save Me From Myself is an anthemic ballad, and the only ballad. Nevertheless, there's no disputing riff rockers like One In A Million or the catchy Sharoline and, as I said, Crowne can bring the heavy metal rock. For this listener, a few more listens are required, notably in my car, on a highway, and driving really fast. If you enjoy your classic melodic hard rock with heavy metal gusto and edge, and an abundance of flaming guitar solos, you will enjoy Crowne and their debut album, Kings Of The North.




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The Take Away

If you enjoy your classic melodic hard rock with heavy metal gusto and edge, and an abundance of flaming guitar solos, you will enjoy Crowne and their debut album, Kings Of The North. Recommended.

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