Crownshift – Crownshift
Release Date: 10th May 2024
Label: Nuclear Blast
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic/Symphonic Progressive Metal, Melodic Death Metal.
FFO: Devin Townsend, In Flames, Children of Bodom.
Review By: Jeff Finch
With a line-up like this, featuring members of Wintersun, Children of Bodom and Mygrain, the level of talent and musicianship in this line-up is enough to get anybody hyped, even someone that had no idea that they even existed as a supergroup until recently: this means me. And after marinating with this record a few times, really getting into the songs and listening to all the elements hit, this is one of the rare instances where the supergroup works very well, as this debut record from Crownshift is, put simply, an excellent record.
Right off the bat on our opener, Stellar Halo, trippy symphonic elements ooze out of the speakers, much more pronounced as the main riffs take hold, where the band shifts into a Lamb of God groove. The drummer keeps the double bass going for the entirety of the track, including the chorus, consisting of clean vocals, anthemic in nature, and a reappearance of those twinkling symphonic elements. This track made me stop for a moment because, when lead vocalist Tommy Tuovinen lets out a scream at the end of the chorus, he sounds eerily like Devin Townsend, only the finest of compliments. And it turns out, this band loves Devin and Strapping Young Lad; and no where is this more apparent than in the second track, Rule the Show, where, once again, the vocals are straight from Heavy Devy but the pulsating riffs following the symphonic elements around the two-minute mark sound like they’re pulled straight from the Strapping Young Lad banger Oh My Fucking God. If you’ve heard that track, you’ll know exactly when you hear this. One final nod to Devin takes place towards the tail end of the track, with a veritable wall of sound seguing into the final solo.
The band takes on an almost inspirational tone and melody on A World Beyond Reach, the opening riffs lulling us into an expectation of beauty and pure melodious highs before Tommy rips us back to reality with his opening wail; it’s during our chorus where, despite his immense talent, we can tell that there are distinct differences between himself and the aforementioned Devin Townsend, but he gives one hell of a performance throughout, at times the band sounding like Devin Townsend Project, albeit with a bit more melody and technicality from the guitars. A super melodious, somewhat noodly, solo hits us toward the end of the song, transitioning into some old school Bullet for My Valentine vibes, the drums and guitars operating on the same wavelength and just crushing us with intensity.
In case it wasn’t already abundant, this album is full of melody and stellar performances, and no where is this more present than on our closing track, the mammoth ten-minute behemoth To the Other Side. The opening guitars sound like they’re echoing, way off in the distance, the distortion giving off (sorry again) Deadhead vibes. The guitars maintain a symphonic melody, a wall of sound almost soothing until the double bass drums hammer us; the vocals come in layered, a bit low in the mix, allowing the riffs to take center stage, followed closely by the synthesizers, a grand, epic feel to the song, and it seems as if we’ve just begun. Even with the wall of sound hitting, each instrument is allowed to shine cleanly, as the band shifts tempo, damn near shifting genres simultaneously, time signatures changes galore, the song truly embodying the aim of the band, to fire on all cylinders but allow each member to get their moment but also to ram home the point that this is a well oiled, cohesive unit. A false finish around the seven-minute mark lulls listeners into the transition to a beautiful piano melody, complemented by some strings, which allows the guitars to re-emerge from the black and come in slowly; this build-up into the solo sounds eerily like No More Tears where Randy Rhoads is about to take center stage, and anyone that’s heard that song will know what I’m talking about and likely agree. The wall of melody transitions into a heavily emotional solo that finishes off with a quick bit of shred, as we’re thrust back into the main groove. Honestly, the song could have ended after that solo, but the band keeps going, and for the last fifteen seconds of the track, the song just goes full tilt thrash metal to round us out.
Put simply, this album is excellent. The melodies, the harmonies, the musical performances, the vocals, everything just shines on this record. There is no one member of this band that shines more than the other, and that’s probably how they want it; while there are nods to other bands peppered throughout the album that, like me, may cause a listener to stare off into the distance and try to figure out what it reminds them of, the band has released an excellent piece of original music with this debut record. If you are a fan of Devin Townsend, Progressive Metal, or any of the bands listed in the beginning of the review, then you will love this record.
(4.5 / 5)
