Crownshift's 'Crownshift' - Album Review

Nuclear Blast Records is certainly not the label it once was. It was only in recent times when a significant portion of the world's biggest and most popular metal bands, especially those from Europe, were signed to the label - but following a split in recent years which saw some former Nuclear Blast employees leave and set up Atomic Fire Records, taking quite a few bands with them its roster has been depleted. With Napalm Records also recently picking up a few long-time Nuclear Blast bands, too, the label's heyday is seemingly over - but with HammerFall recently resigning after a few albums on Napalm and, crucially, Nightwish renewing their long-term association with the label in the past couple of months not all seems to be lost. Despite this, though, the label has had to resort to other tactics - and something which they have seemingly dipped their toe in a little is a Frontiers Records-esque penchant for home-grown supergroups. Last year's Horns for a Halo (which I reviewed here), the debut album by the Richie Faulker-led four-piece Elegant Weapons, certainly felt like a heavy metal version of Frontiers' numerous curated AOR projects - and the album I am going to cover today feels similar. That is not to knock Horns for a Halo, as it is a very enjoyable album, but I do wonder if Faulkner was encouraged by the label to give them something - especially as some of the musicians who contributed to the album have not played live with the band. The fact that Elegant Weapons have played live, though, makes them more legitimate than most of Frontiers' projects - and the band I am going to talk about today also have already played live. That band is Crownshift, a newly-formed Finnish metal band made up of some well-known journeyman musicians - but it seems to be spearheaded by guitarist Daniel Freyberg (Naildown; Norther; Children of Bodom; Bodom After Midnight). He wrote all of the music for the band's self-titled debut album and co-wrote the lyrics with frontman Tommy Tuovinen (MyGrain; Damnation Plan) - and on Crownshift the two have created a sound which merges traditional Finnish melodic death metal with elements of modern-sounding alternative/groove metal as well as the occasional hint of power metal. Considering that Freyberg and Tuovinen are joined here by bassist Jukka Koskinen (Norther; Wintersun; Cain's Offering; Amberian Dawn; Nightwish) and drummer Heikki Saari (Virtuocity; Norther; Amberian Dawn; Tuoni; Whorion; Finntroll) this mix of sounds should not come as a surprise. All three of the instrumentalists here contributed to Norther's final album Circle Regenerated in 2011, so Crownshift is something of a reunion for them - and there are certainly hints of Norther and Children of Bodom to be found throughout the eight songs here. There are plenty of other sounds, too, with the diverse vocals of Tuovinen helping the band to step away of the traditional Finnish melodic death metal sound fairly often. He sings clean more than most of the genre's singers do - but there are still a lot of harsh vocals here. The synths and keyboards which form part of the Finnish melodic death metal fabric are here, too, albeit not as prominent as they generally are. Without a keyboard player in the band their diminished role is not a surprise - and this is very much a guitar-heavy album with Freyberg really getting to show off after often being seen as the 'second' guitarist in many of his previous bands.

Despite the variety on show here, the album kicks off with one of its more straight ahead songs in Stellar Halo - which is very much a traditional melodic death metal anthem which shows that Freyberg's time working alongside the late Alexi Laiho rubbed off. Following a brief synth-led intro the song proper kicks off with a strong, snappy guitar riff, backed by the same synths, which then morphs into something more snaking and groovy - with plenty of bass from Koskinen behind it. There are strong Children of Bodom vibes in the guitar playing here, particularly in those moments which are more lead-based, but the vocals from Tuovinen are a bit more groove metal-inspired. His bark is deeper than the higher rasps of Laiho and his peers - and his clean vocals channel a slight gothic vibe, which add a lot to the song's hooky chorus which features a strong synth backing and less of a knotty guitar approach. That being said, the song still feels very traditional overall. Freyberg's approach to the lead guitar has Laiho's neo-classical touch, whilst the rhythm section never really run away at break-neck speed - with the pace being at the faster end of mid-pace to allow the hooks to shine. The song feels heavy, though, thanks to the fat guitar tones used - but there are plenty of hooks thanks to the synth flashes and Tuovinen's clean chorus vocals. A couple of busy guitar solo sections allow Freyberg to show off. Again, there are moments of a neo-classical style on display at times - but other parts of his solos are much busier and more thrash-inspired. This gives the song a variety, but the band's influences can easily be traced here - and it gets the album off to a strong start. Rule the Show opens in a thrashier manner, with plenty of fast double bass drumming from Saari, before the pace slows down and a thick, bass-heavy groove takes over. The synths of the opening song are dialled back here, and the dominance of groovy riffing and a more modern-sounding vocal approach sets the song apart from the traditional melodic death metal approach of the opening cut. Tuovinen generally sings clean here, although he mixes between his more melodic gothic approach and something somewhat gruffer more akin to Phil Anselmo. Given this vocal style and the strong bass presence throughout there are big groove metal vibes which define the song's overall sound. Freyberg reins in the temptation to throw in some traditional melodic death metal guitar leads this time, with his playing generally being very riff-based - with a mixture of groove metal and even metalcore-inspired riffs. His solo is much shorter this time, too, and the song treads a different path - showcasing the desire of the band not to re-tread their collective pasts.

A World Beyond Reach returns to something more similar to the opening song sound-wise - with a lengthy intro which mixes synth runs, melodic guitar leads, and plenty of up-tempo grooves from the rhythm section to again recall some Children of Bodom-esque sounds. Once Tuovinen starts to sing, though, the vibe changes a bit somewhat, with more of a chug present during the verses which is backed by some atmospheric synths. After generally singing the previous song clean, he uses his harsh vocals for the verses this time - but returns to a clean delivery during the chorus which is backed by a very hooky guitar melody. I really like how the band are already starting to formulate their own sound on this album. The history of the band members can clearly be heard during parts of all the songs here, and they are not scared to throw in moments which ape those sounds, but the mix of everything together does sound different from anything they have done previously. The chorus here exemplifies that - with the traditional-sounding guitar lead and the modern vocal approach creating something different. If You Dare seems to mine the well of Children of Bodom's mid-period (think 2005's Are You Dead Yet?) - and the song's title is even similar to many of the hits from that era. There is more of a synth presence here, with the song built around a keyboard hook and a thrashy guitar backing - before a similarly-thrashy verse takes over and sees Tuovinen laying down some pretty fast-paced and potent harsh vocals. So far so typical, but there are other influences on display here, too, with the chorus slowing the pace down behind a more percussive drum beat and effects-heavy clean vocals. The build to the chorus is very mid-2000s melodic death metal, though, with a mix of thrashy riffs and groovy sections - all led by some of Tuovinen's most ferocious vocals on the album. The only slight disappointment here is the guitar solo - which is very short. Given the song's generally fast pace, a more explosive solo would have been welcome - and it would have been great to hear Freyberg really cut loose and take the song's pace to the next level. My Prison slows the pace down overall and opens slowly - with a synth melody over which Tuovinen soon starts to sing whilst backed by a mournful groove from the rhythm section. Koskinen's bass is very prominent during the song and his snaking melody really drives the verses. Freyberg holds back early on, although as the verse progresses he does start to add some melodic leads in the background - but the lack of any big riffs during the verse gives the song a ballad-esque feel. It is certainly the album's slowest song overall, but it does sound fuller the more it moves along - with the chorus having more of a riffy backing than anything else in the song, albeit with Tuovinen paring such with some relatively poppy vocal hooks. Later verses are a bit fatter, but there is still less of a heaviness present throughout - even though Freyberg does launch into a pretty busy solo later on which is backed by plenty of fast double bass drumming from Saari. Perhaps a more emotive solo would have worked better given the vibe of the song, but the shredding is certainly exciting - and the change of pace overall is welcome.

The Devil's Drug opens with some stop-start riffing and drum acrobatics, but once the main riff kicks in alongside a subtle keyboard backing the trademark melodic death metal sound is re-established - and the song generally proceeds in this expected manner. The keyboards are not that present in the mix throughout, though, save for some of the instrumental sections, but the guitar playing of Freyberg is generally full of that old-school metal/thrash sound which generally characterises melodic death metal rather than going for something more Lamb of God-inspired as there have been flashes of up to this point. As such, the song channels some Children of Bodom-esque moods again - albeit with a more stripped back sound thanks to the general lack of keyboards. The chorus, with Tuovinen's clean vocals, feels a bit more hard rock/heavy metal inspired, too, with a couple of higher-pitched screams - and this helps the song to remain hooky throughout. The album's last two songs feel as one - with the instrumental Mirage acting as a build up to the lengthy closing song to follow. It is not a particularly furious piece, with the song instead feeling pretty atmospheric overall. Clean guitar melodies set the tone early on, and later sections feature relatively folky leads against a bass-heavy backdrop. The synths add depth throughout, and the song does get heavier as it moves along, but it never feels truly heavy - with even the weightier sections generally featuring the same folky melodies already mentioned, just against a meatier backing. The song feels like the album's true change of pace - as My Prison was still quite heavy in places. This calm before the closing storm is welcome - and I like how the song focuses on a bit of a different side of Freyberg's playing, even the approach to guitar leads and not all that dissimilar to what has come before.

The closing moments of the song are much riffier, though, and this leads nicely into the strident opening of the 10 minute-plus To the Other Side - the album's closing song and the band's most ambitious composition yet. It opens with a snappy guitar riff which could have sat on a Firewind album without sounding too out of place, but something more typical soon kicks in and the pace is upped - with fluid guitar melodies sitting against a thrashy backing. Due to the length of the piece, too, all of the influences which have been present on the album up to this point are represented here. There are moments which very much channel the classic Children of Bodom approach to melodic and neo-classical guitar leads, and there are spooky keyboard runs which hark back to that band's early days, but then there are also thicker, groovier riffs which sound very different - alongside more atmospheric sections with a strong bass presence and gentler clean vocals. There are also lengthier instrumental sections, too, and it seems that Freyberg has saved much of his power for this track. There are a few moments which almost stray into progressive metal territory, with knotty riff-led sections showing how tight the band is - alongside some pretty busy solos, including a memorable moment which sees the guitar and the synths shred in unison. I wish that this band had a keyboard player as it would have been great to see the synths' role expanded upon here - alongside the inclusion of synth solos to off-set the guitar solos. I assume that Freyberg was responsible for the album's keyboards, and they do the job they need to do, but this sort of music is always better with a proper keyboard player - and it would be great for the band on stage, too. The song takes a turn about three-quarters of the way through, too, and becomes much more piano-led for a moment. This slows the pace down nicely, creating a different vibe, before Freyberg takes back over with a more cinematic guitar solo and a reprise of the song's chorus. Despite its length, the song never feels over-long and it is a great way for the band to show off a little more - with all of the styles which have been explored on the album up to this point coming together nicely. At this stage it is unclear whether Crownshift are in it for the long haul or whether this album will be a one-off, but there is certainly a lot of potential here. The eight songs here are all enjoyable and the different vibes on display makes the album fly by - with the relatively short run-time overall meaning the album feels like one for any occasion. There are lots of strong hooks and plenty of great guitar moments on show - so I would be very interested to hear where the band go from here if they do decide to do a second album, as I feel that the progressive flourishes in the album's final song could be a hint of what is to come.

The album was released on 10th May 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for If You Dare.