Crown Lands – Apocalypse
Release Date: 15th May 2026
Label: Inside Out Music
Bandcamp
Genre: Progressive Rock, Classic Rock.
FFO: Rush, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, ZZ Top, Kansas.
Review By: Eric Wilt
I first heard Crown Lands when their 2023 full length, Fearless, was released. I had not listened to them before then, but the cover artwork caught my eye, and I’m always on the lookout for new prog releases. At first, it wasn’t for me. After all, I already listened to Rush; why did I need to listen to a contemporary band doing their best Rush impersonation? But the music kept drawing me back, and I came to realize that there’s much more going on in Crown Lands than Rush worship. The members of the band, Kevin Comeau and Cody Bowles, definitely share a love of classic rock, and you can hear nods to some of their influences—like the aforementioned Rush as well as Led Zeppelin and Genesis—across their discography, but to write them off as a classic rock knockoff band is to miss the immense talent the duo showcases both as songwriters and musicians.
Musically, Crown Lands’ songs are as adventurous as the story they tell with their lyrics. Their sound, which is filled out with acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, flute, drums, and Bowles’ soaring vocals, is like turning an AM radio through the stations in the 70s and early 80s. There are big bold guitar riffs like the ones that power Foot Soldiers of the Syndicate through the verses, jangly acoustic guitar sections like that which kicks off Through the Looking Glass, spacey keyboards like the ones on Blackstar, and sizzling guitar leads like the one in The Fall. The record is closed out by the nearly twenty-minute title track that sees Crown Lands take the listener on journey where the band pulls out all the stops including using synth-triggered drums and even more flute.Crown Lands may wear their influences on their sleeve, but Apocalypse is anything but imitation prog rock. Fans of classic rock and 70s and 80s prog rock will find much to enjoy on the album, and I’m excited to see how they continue to push their sound in the future.
(4 / 5)
