Artist: Northern Crown
Title: In A Pallid Shadow
Genre: Epic Doom
Release Date: 3rd July 2020
Label: Self-released
Album Review
Sometimes pure musical gold lands in my lap (simply pit: my inbox) this time it is NORTHERN CROWN, an Epic Doom band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Without further ado here is the press text:
“NORTHERN CROWN’s new record ‘In A Pallid Shadow’ is everything that a real adventure should be made of - an epic struggle between good and evil, a terrifying personal dilemma, a brief moment of unexpected beauty, and a few good stories. Confident in their new rhythmic stride with groove-heavy drummer Dan Konopka of OK GO, the band melds guitarist Zach Randall’s signature writing, vocalist Frank Serafine’s distinct classic vocal grit and dynamics, and Leona Hayward’s penchant for assertive and beefy bass lines. One listen through the leading track, ‘Leprosarium,’ and you may not catch the buried reference to John Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps,’ but you will feel the ten tons of metal slamming you in the face. As with the band’s self-titled previous album, the music is placed in the best artistic light possible thanks to the evocative artwork of Travis Smith. The final mastering of the album was handled by the notorious and balanced hands of Dan Swanö (Unisound Studio/SE.) Soloist Evan Hensley (NIGHTFALL, DARK HOUND, KARMIC LINK) rains fire down on the songs with a broader contribution than earlier albums, a de facto member of the band.”
Well put, this is a good press text because I can assure you, dear reader, that this band is heavy as it gets when it comes to epic doom. Frank’s voice is really nice as he is able to sing a bit gritty while maintaining a clean and dramatic demeanour, the bass slabs like hell in the background without being too far away from the overall musical narrative (it is audible at all times), riffs and hooks galore are shared between Randall and Serafine and the drums serve the material very well (also played by Serafine according to the bands Facebook page). The sound often reminds of the great ones like CANDLEMASS, MY DYING BRIDE or ISOLE which is great of course, the setting of NORTHERN CROWN’s songs is dark and very melodic with a great vocalist to top it off. Much respect to the guys for putting out three full-length records and an EP in the relatively short time span since formation (the guys started in 2013). If you love melodic epic Doom Metal and don’t shy away when hearing a keyboard, you should check these guys out and buy their stuff. The whole discography is online at Bandcamp.
Tracklist
01. Leprosarium
02. The Last Snowfall
03. A Vivid Monochrome
04. 8 Hours
05. Observing
Line-up
Leona Hayword – Bass
Zachary Randall – Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyborads
Frank Serafine – Vocals, Lead Guitar
Website
https://music.northerncrownband.com / https://www.facebook.com/NorthernCrownDoom
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
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