Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 08:03 PM by Nikos Nakos
Genre: Heavy/Doom
Country: U.S.A.
Label: Cruz Del Sur Music
Year: 2024
Four years is a long long time in music business and while everyone seems to running out of time, Los Angeles doom crew Stygian Crown gave themselves the luxury of working again and again upon their ideas before revealing to the masses their sophomore long awaited full length. When you are overheated with talent and inspiration then time is always on your side after all… as their debut in 2020 was a punch in the teeth to all who laughed at their (ok not so catchy indeed) promotional term ‘candlethrower’, so now everyone expected nothing less than a triumphant return. Perfection always hides on the details and Stygian Crown had all the time to improve and settle the features of their new effort. Tracked at five different studios from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, with mixing duties falling onto Mark Kelson and mastering courtesy of Charles Elliott, the album occasionally drifts into traditional metal territory but largely keeps its one foot on the field of doom and the other one on death metal. Proud and loud for their influences from Candlemass, Bolt Thrower, My Dying Bride and Iron Maiden they filtered and extracted a result that marches side by side with Crypt Sermon, Solitude Aeternus and Greek doom heroes Doomocracy.
The fact that all members of the band (not only the founding trio, Nelson Miranda and Andy Hicks and Rhett Davis but also Eric Bryan, the band’s only new member) contributed on songwritting in which the process was flipping early songwriting ideas or re-writting them altogether (for example the process included the band “The Bargain” was finally committed to tape after its third revision, while album standout “Blood Red Eyes” was originally a full band composition but ultimately scaled back to include vocals, piano and violin) gave them strong bonds and now the team works like a unit; vocalist/keyboardist Melissa Pinion performance is breathtaking, the guitar duo of Nelson Miranda and Andy Hicks is like a well oiled jaw machine, bassist Eric Bryan and drummer Rhett Davis are solid, stout and beefy. The album features cover art from the hailed Kris Verwimp, who discussed a multitude of ideas with Davis before the drummer landed on the Funeral for a King title while practicing Rainbow songs in his home drum room. It also brings in mind Mark Shelton’s Hellwell’s sophomore album and ‘Powerslave’ and its imposing. ‘Funeral for A King’ seems to be a brilliant album that captures the feeling of a dark journey in mythological soundscapes. Simply astonishing!!!! Funeral for a King release date is on February 23, 2024, via Cruz Del Sur Music in CD, vinyl, and digital formats.
