I’m sure I’ve dwelled on this topic before, but these days, it seems a new supergroup forms every week. I’ve become so conditioned to the “superstar collaborations” of *insert 80s metal musician here* with *insert other 80s metal musician here*, that these announcements of these grandiose supergroups do little to phase me anymore. That said, the melodic rock nerd in me couldn’t help but be the slightest bit curious with the announcement of Crowne.
Curated by Frontiers Records (because of course they are), Crowne features John Levén (Europe) on bass, Christian Lundqvist (The Poodles) on drums, Jona Tee (H.E.A.T) on guitars and keyboards, and Alexander Strandell (Art Nation) on vocals. The only thing keeping Crowne from being the ultimate Swedish supergroup is the exclusion of Erik Mårtensson, but between an upcoming Eclipse album and no shortage of production/songwriting gigs, I’m sure the last thing he needed was another side project. A W.E.T. album every few years is more than I could ask for. All joking aside, Crowne does a solid job melding the elements of each member’s main bands on their debut album, Kings in the North.
Now if you’ve been keeping track of the Euro melodic rock scene of late, you’ll know that H.E.A.T and Art Nation have gotten heavier with each subsequent release. Considering Crowne features members of each band, it should come as no surprise that this shift is reflected on Kings in the North. There’s no shortage of melody. Strandell powerful vocals recall Helloween’s Michael Kiske and Yngwie Malmsteen’s Mark Boals. However, Tee’s riffing and soloing is far too heavy to merely be labelled melodic hard rock, let alone AOR. This is an over the top melodic metal album if I’ve ever heard one.
I’m usually 50/50 with the bombastic production of modern melodic rock/metal, but Crowne utilizes it in a way that accents their finest qualities. Cuts like the title track, “Mad World”, and “Unbreakable” showcase aggressive guitars, dramatic synths, and bone crushing rhythms. “Perceval” and “Sum of All Fears” border on Wacken friendly power metal, though the melodic rock undertones make it palatable for this old school purist. And then there’s those songs like “Sharoline”, where the band’s AOR roots show. I’m not surprised this was released as the album’s initial single/music video. It boasts a shout-along chorus straight out of a Survivor song, albeit with a metallic twist.
My only hang-up with Kings of the North is that it tapers off near the end. Closing out with a ballad (“Save Me from Myself”) wasn’t the wisest idea either, but hey, they can’t all be winners. Compared to other recent Frontiers creations/curations, Crowne is one of the most promising of the bunch. With a hint of finetuning, album #2 has the potential to be even stronger. Until then, I’ll continue picking 80s rockstars names out of a hat and sending supergroup suggestions to Frontiers’ inbox.
6 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: Melodic Heavy Metal
For fans of: Eclipse, H.E.A.T, Pretty Maids