So, this album has leaked. I know a lot of people are probably weary as fuck considering their last album (Death Is Not Dead) was a bucketful of shit, and I know the one before that teetered for some people, even though I personally loved it.

This album definitely has a lot more going on musically. The drums are far more chaotic and there's far more transitions within the music. I'm being as unspecific as I can because I don't know that having more going on will necessarily solve the problems that existed with their last album. This album definitely seems to be hitting at some influences that seemed to be present on their earlier albums, and, weirdly enough, this album isn't that thrashy like a Deathrace King. "Cobra Speed Venom" is the first thrashy song on the album, but the drums sound intentional in taking the album in an old-school melodic death metal direction and less of a thrashy one, which is fine, I suppose.

The music is far more interesting and violent than their last couple, which I think is a step in the right direction, but I'm curious to hear more from those who are either completely new to The Crown, or seasoned listeners really attuned to their sound changes through the years.

Below, you'll find some videos they've released.

Disclaimer - haven't followed them since the somewhat pointless re-recording of Crowned in Terror.

Avoided all previews so first listen now on Spotify and this thing comes crashing through the gates immediately with the brutal Destroyed by Madness. Wow.

With an awesome name like Cobra Speed Venom I had high expectations for a spiritual successor to the sublime Deathrace King and it does a decent job in places but with a beefier and more modern sound naturally. Still very much the thrashed up death that barrels along with an unholy clatter that I remember!

Both Iron Crown and the title track remind me a lot of Devil Gate Ride which was one of my fav tracks from DK.

For those still not sure about investing time in this I can say that We Avenge! (one of the preview tracks) is actually one of the weakest songs and a throwaway for what it's worth.

Needs more listens - I'm pretty sure it won't top either DK or CiT but I had fun with it.

Pretty pretty pretty good album. Especially after BS named "death is not dead". Glad to see them back on trax.

Count me in, the first track sounds pretty good. I didn't expect anything after Possessed 13 (a very good album IMO; actually, "Iron Crown" sounds like something that could be on Possessed 13 easily) those two albums were so bland I wasn't inclined to give them more chances.

Was "Death is Not Dead" really that bad? I never bought that one so I haven't heard the entire CD but the songs I did hear, sounded good enough, it was just bogged down heavily by the use of a drum machine.

Anyway, just finished my first play of this album and it's really excellent, easily on par with the first five classics. I gotta admit I really love Lindstrand's voice here, he sounds like Chuck Schuldiner, and also the new guitarist is fucking amazing - dude has so much passion and emotion in his playing. Great that they got a human drummer too!

On the surface after one listen, this album is a major, major step up from the last one at the very least. I need a few more spins to determine whether this is a worthy Crown album in its own right. But it feels like it'll make the grade.



Partially incorrect. Lackluster drumming was an issue on the last album, but it was guitarist Tervonen that played the drums-by all accounts they were not programmed. This guy hardly has the chops to keep up with former drummer Saarenpää (or current drummer Axelsson for that matter), so it was basically a plodding, midpaced affair top to bottom. Totally lacking in energy, let alone speed, that album really suffered for it. There's one song, fuck me if I remember which one, which has the weakest excuse for "blast beats" I've ever heard. And the songwriting otherwise did not make up for it.

EDIT: You might be getting some wires crossed with Doomsday King, which also had performed drums rather than programmed, but were said to be executed on an electric drum kit rather than an acoustic one as the instance of Tervonen, who was the producer/engineer on that record. That's the best I can remember it, anyways.

Holy shit, what a comeback this is! Sounds like a slightly stronger version of "Possessed 13". Such a step from the last album's shitty drumming and pacing back to blastbeats and satanic rock n' roll madness <3

Damn, I actually like Death is Not Dead. It had some pretty catchy tunes, but the drums were definitely weak. I'm interested to check this out. Is Iron Crown not on this album? Because that is definitely the best video I saw leading up to this thing.

Iron Crown is on the album. And this album slays. Death’n roll everywhere I look! It’s really good.

Hmm, that's news to me. The reason I thought it was a drum machine was because around the time the album got released, I remember someone asked the band who was playing drums on the CD, and the band responded that the drums were "made in the lab" or something like that. I guess when I heard the drum performance I just assumed it meant they used a drum machine . Like I said, I never ended up buying the CD so I didn't see Marko was actually credited as the drummer until now.

I like this album a LOT. Nothing new going on, but it sounds refreshing that a once great band seems to have redeemed themselves. This music is really good; the guitars, the drums, the vocals. the melodies...all of it. Every aspect of it seems to have been improved. It isn't better than CIT but it's a lot of fun and worth checking out.

I mean, you could be right-I could be misremembering things. Marko is indeed credited as the drummer on that album. "Made in the lab" is ambiguous enough-could mean he programmed them, could mean he frankensteined drum tracks from segmented performances, etc. All I know for sure is that album is garbage and the poor drumming, however done, is a huge reason for that.

This album though? Smokes. Huge, huge step up from Death Is Not Dead, maybe nowhere near as good as Hell Is Here through Possessed 13, but at the very least on par with Doomsday King and probably will end up better than that album over time.

Just gave it a spin this morning during my workout and holy shit is this a return to form. It's not quite on the same footing as Deathrace King or Crowned Unholy (yes, I prefer this version), but it's close. Having an actual drummer helps and the guitars are heavy as fuck. The rock and roll vibe in the riffs and solos mixed with death metal has been sorely missed since the aforementioned classics of their discography. My only gripe is Johan's vocals seem like he's going more for a death metal style growl rather than the raspy demonic Hetfield style he used on DRK through Possessed 13.

As for Death is Not Dead, It was extremely hit and miss for me. tracks like Godeater, Meduseld, Speed Kills, and Ride to Ruin hand great replay value with the latter being a thrashy, sabbath-y track that I feel stands up their with some of their best songs. Speed Kills sounds like it was a leftover track from DRK. On the other hand, tracks like Herd of Swine, Struck by Lightning, and Horrid Ways are so boring it hurts.

That Iron Crown single has that "this bitch is gonna' fall apart any second now" sort of urgency. Returning again & again to that one in particular.

Exactly! That's what made DRK and CiT so good.. those records sound unhinged in their urgency, like they're trying to play faster than they actually can but somehow keeping it together regardless. And the lack of that is what made the last two so flat.