Album Review : Crowne – ‘Kings In The North’

Review by Andy Houghton for MPM

‘Kings In The North’ is the debut album from Crowne, a Swedish melodic hard rock band comprising vocalist Alexander Strandell (Art Nation), guitarist/keyboardist/producer Jona Tee (H.E.A.T.), bassist John Levén (Europe) and drummer Christian Lundqvist (The Poodles), together with Dynazty’s Love Magnusson who provides guitar solos.

With a pedigree like that, you’d hope for something special, and as debut albums go ‘Kings In The North’ doesn’t disappoint. The title track kicks things off in style, providing a blistering opening number that leaves you in no doubt where these Scandinavian rockers’ ambitions lie – Kings In The North indeed.

Strandell’s voice is big enough to fill a stadium, and he gets to put it through its paces on the anthemic ‘Perceval’. The enormous melodies also flow thick and fast, and the slick production puts it firmly into AOR territory. Highlights include the Evanescence-like ‘Mad World’, with its dizzying guitar solo, and the breathless pace of ‘Sum Of All Fears’, again with some standout work on guitar.

It’s not all punchy melodic hard rock though. Just as I was wondering whether we were going to get a ballad, one appears for the very last track on the album, ‘Save Me From Myself’, which provides a last-minute change in pace and a new aspect to the band’s sound.

Sweden has a long and distinguished history of melodic rock, and with ‘Kings In The North’ Crowne have staked their claim to be a part of that heritage. It’s a well-polished album and a promising debut for the band. Recommended.

Tracklisting:

1. Kings In The North
2. Perceval
3. Sharoline
4. Unbreakable
5. Mad World
6. One In A Million
7. Sum Of All Fears
8. Set Me Free
9. Make A Stand
10. Cross To Bear
11. Save Me From Myself

‘Kings In The North’ is released on June 18^th, 2021.

https://www.facebook.com/officialcrowne

NORTH. Buy or Stream: https://orcd.co/kingsinthenorth