Psychurgy

As soon as I saw these guys include in writing they were influenced by Sunn O))), I thought I was in trouble in suggesting to review C.R.O.W.N. In fact, I listened to a Sunn O))) song yesterday and it was beyond simple instrumentation carried through seventeen minutes. I’m not saying they’re terrible, but when it comes to doom or drone metal I’d rather listen to other artists. Sunn O))) requires your more-than-usual patience; I can see why others might like them, but they don’t work for me. Then again I only listened to one song, so it’s not wise to jump to conclusions. Alas, this is C.R.O.W.N.’s debut full-length via Candlelight Records and they are their own entity and carving among all the beauty that’s abstractly hidden in Earth’s many wonders.

“Psychokinesy I” was an ambient/atmospheric instrumental to set the mood for “Abyss” and boy did it maximize my listening experience. “Abyss” was a beautifully constructed song dense with low-end atmosphere and haunting distant vocals. The guitar work was simple, yet compelling. You could feel each note leave the musician’s fingertips and move on to the next one. Mental visionary was vibrant, and I felt taken in by the entire composition. Following with the latter description, “Blood Runs” had the same effect. Two things I should mention are 1) the recording and 2) the contrast. The recording shows its promise in this very song by exhibiting the ability to distort relative distance. I love how the drums sound like they’re being played right next to you, but at the same time the guitars sound remotely landscaped. It’s not some misnomer where the drums overshadow the guitars. No, quite the contrary the chemistry is linked to form a perfect element, but somehow the distance between the two shows disparity. Contrast is something I felt I should strongly mention. S.A.’s clean vocals are truly alluring and melodies are also quite well-grounded. The contrast applies when the guitars are playing low-grind, dirty, sharp-sounding riffs while accompanied by calm and eerie riffs. It’s extended further when the cleans and haunting screams are blended in with the riffs, adding a plethora of awe-inspiring contrast to convey a message to the listeners.

“Empress/Hierophant” demonstrates S.A.’s ability to hold a note with his murderous scream. Takes me back when I listened to Neurosis’s “Given to the Rising”. Scott Kelly has the more powerful lungs, but the tension and ominous drift were omnipresent in both of these demonstrations. “Serpent and Fire” has to be the catchiest song so far, and the drums are so fun to imitate. Wherever you are you cannot resist thumping your fingers on the nearest desktop or what have you. I’m not exactly sure what drone metal is yet, but if it’s all these uses of ambient samples, then I pretty much enjoy it immensely. This song, however, was drenched in sadness, I felt. These guys know how to calibrate samples as aptly as Radiohead, whom of which are one of my favorite bands of all time.

“Psychokinesy II” marks the passage for the halfway point of the album. I enjoyed this instrumental more than the first one. It’s something you’d expect to hear in a horror video game. Evil shrouded in mist, you cannot detect it, but you know it’s near. Speaking of which, “We will Crush the Open Sky” has an interlude resembling this coated malignancy. It reminded me so much of the Silent Hill video game franchise with Akira Yamaoka responsible for much of the music. All that is missing is an ill-fated collaboration with the prestigious Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.

After the radial point, songs from “Telepath” through “Alpha/Omega” prove to be more experimental than the former half. The self-titled track, “Psychurgy”, has this cool technique where S.A. morosely sings a lyric line and just at the verge of the last syllable a down-tuned strum dissevers and swallows the last vocalization. It’s releases like these that make me want to experience sludge/doom metal bands to a greater extent. “Psychurgy” goes without saying to be an experimental and passionate piece of work.

Originally written for www.metal-temple.com.