We’ve all seen it at least once. You’re out to dinner with a friend or family member or business associate. They order a certain dish and upon first bite, a perplexed look crawls upon their face. “How is it?”, you ask. They reply, “Interesting.” Now 9 times out of 10, “interesting” is code for “I don’t care for it.” This expression of distaste is also regularly used to assess movies and music. Stygian Crown’s self titled debut is interesting and not for the wrong reasons. It’s the 1 out of 10 case that legitimately IS interesting! I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I’ve just listened to as I write this very review. Hopefully my thoughts will formulate into something of value over the course of the next few paragraphs.
Stygian Crown features guitarist Nelson Miranda, bassist Jason Thomas, and drummer Rhett A. Davis, all members of Californian extreme metallers, Gravehill. They also boast the talents of guitarist Andy Hicks and frontwoman Melissa Pinion. Now with three members of a veteran death/black/thrash act to their name, I expected Stygian Crown to display these influences, albeit subtly. What I didn’t expect was to get smacked upon the head with those influences on tracks such as the crushing “Devour the Dead” and the cryptic “When Old Gods Die”. These riffs are so absurdly heavy. They’re essentially death metal riffs in the vein of Bolt Thrower and Cianide.
I had to ask myself, “Am I listening to death/doom with clean vocals?”. Half of what makes death metal “death metal” is the guttural vocals. Alas, there’s none of that to be found. Instead, we’re treated to the soaring operatic vocals of Melissa Pinion. Sounding like the lost sister of Messiah Marcolin, she bellows through each song, further pushing the mood of doom and despair accentuated by the riffs. Frankly, I’ve never heard anything quite like this.
Yes there are influences of the gods of yore. The most obvious comparison is Candlemass, especially on my favorite track, “Trampled into the Earth”. It includes that chugging riffage synonymous with the Swedish legends circa 1987. However, a carbon copy this is not. There are also shades of Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol. Each song tends to start slow, before morphing into an epic mid section, utilizing the approach that was pioneered by these very bands. “Through Divine Rite” is a grand example of this. It opens as a sombre ode to death, then segues into a glorious battle march. Again, while there are homages to these legendary bands throughout, there’s no blatant rip offs.
Stygian Crown may not be the greatest slab of metal released in 2020, but it’s so far the most intriguing album I’ve heard this year. With moments ranging from enchanting and atmospheric, to full blown doom and gloom, Stygian Crown is not for the faint of heart nor ears. Nevertheless, if you’re looking to expand your musical palette and dip your toes into a pool of unorthodox doom, Stygian Crown is the band and album for you.
7 out of 10
Label: Cruz del Sur Music
Genre: Epic Doom Metal
For fans of: Candlemass, Bolt Thrower, Smoulder