The Crown: Doomsday King (2010)

Review

The Crown is a Swedish melodic death/thrash band who recently reunited after a six-year break. Earlier this month they released their fifth full-length, Doomsday King.

Being Swedish, and being a melodic death/thrash band, you might expect them to sound kind of like a cross between The Haunted and later At the Gates. If so, your expectations should be fulfilled, as that's just what this album offers.

I've never listened to The Crown before, so I can't make any comparisons to their earlier (highly regarded) work. But the band plays fast and tight, and the recording sounds natural. The songs are solid, with engaging variety. The title track has some Middle Eastern inflections, "Age of Iron" is fast Slayer-like thrash, "The Tempter and the Bible Black" is slower and heavier, and closer "He Who Rises In Might - From Darkness to Light" borders on the epic.

"Soul Slasher" is the weakest track in sight, but even that's not awful. "Through Eyes of Oblivion" is the highlight.

The Verdict: There's nothing groundbreaking about this, but it's a very solid album that stands out from the legions of the thrash resurgence based on sheer quality. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.