Prophecy of Doom

Lesson learned: whence blithely writing up demos, singles and EPs, sleezy-street, effortless ease style, the targets of said mini-reviews invariably surface with notorious full-length debut which, without fail, begs its own re-directed attention. (Otherwise, it would be same as food critic leaving the table before their main course arrived.) Such is exalted, end of March case for Russian three-guys-and-a-girl outfit Electric Crown, with these recently incarnated, unambiguously Judas Priest bred St.Petersburgians' ice-breaking, fifty minute novenary album Prophecy of Doom, released digitally and on CD under Chilean purist Tradición Metálica Discos - think Gravebreaker, Hëiligen, Metaltex...

While three of four, prior demo & single tracks re-appear - following stocky makeover - six of them consist of highly mercurial riff/solo fests, even if their arrangement sounds haphazard and all over the place. However, the actual musicianship, from unorthodox drumming fills and fidgety bass, to buddy's wildly divergent vocals - which evoke a myriad of past criers, beginning with Metallica's James Hetfield, particularly on the reprised "Hypocrite" (an elfin, honky-tonky-ish, shifty-as-fuck ode in its own right) and aggressively rampant highlight "Enlightenment" - has improved in both shovels and spades; had Prophecy of Doom exhibited a more linear, not-so-puzzle-jumbled flow, would've rated it in mid 80s.

Electric Crown's overall vibe is now less dry, tinged by eclectic soupcons of futurism and technological flair somewhat reminiscent of modern era JP, yet, without synths and, thank Heaven & Lord above, Turbo glam element. Still, the gang appears to have found its own identity; no longer does it come across as mediocre, clone-ish or even clownish. That said, the verses and choruses, aside from mirthfully harmless mishaps, benefit from a steady hand, in form of ameliorated grammar (not glamour). Each track rocks on its own, even if PoD's pair of swansongs - one of them a banal instrumental - drags on, slightly. It's also a safe bet this thorny noggin piece keeps stepping up its game on each subsequent effort.