The Crown | |
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 The Crown at Party.San Metal Open Air 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Crown of Thorns, Dobermann |
| Origin | Trollhättan, Sweden |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1990–2004, 2009–present |
| Labels | Black Sun, Metal Blade, Century Media |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | thecrownofficial |
The Crown is a Swedish death metal/thrash metal band from Trollhättan, active from 1990 to 2004 and again since 2009.
Originally, they used the name Crown of Thorns but were forced to change their name due to an American band already using that name. Their music and lyrics are inspired by death, antireligious themes (mostly targeting Christianity) and rebellion. They are known to fuse melodic death metal with aggressive old-school death metal tendencies and considerable thrash metal influences, reminiscent of bands such as Possessed and old Sepultura. The Crown disbanded in 2004. After that, Lindstrand went on to form One Man Army and the Undead Quartet. [1] Tervonen formed Angel Blake, named after a song by Danzig. Sunesson is in a band called Engel. Olsfelt is also in a band called Stolen Policecar. The band was reformed in December 2009 with Jonas Stålhammar of God Macabre as the new vocalist. [2]
On 30 June 2010, it was reported that The Crown signed a worldwide deal with Century Media Records and the band's eighth studio album, Doomsday King , was released in September 2010. [3]
The Crown celebrated their 25th anniversary with the release of their ninth studio album, Death Is Not Dead on 12 January 2015. The first single "Headhunter" was released on 27 October 2014 as well as the music video was made on the same date. [4]
On 28 November 2017, it was announced that The Crown had returned to Metal Blade Records, and released the first single "Iron Crown" from their then-upcoming tenth studio album Cobra Speed Venom, on 12 January 2018. [5] On that album, The Crown used a string quartet with Alexander Bringsoniou playing violin, viola and cello. [6] Their eleventh studio album, Royal Destroyer, was released 12 March 2021. [7] Their next album, Crown of Thorns, is due for release on 11 October 2024. [8]
The Crown's music is an aggressive mix of a more melodic version of death metal and thrash metal. Their first demo recording Forever Heaven Gone was described as "truly brutal Swedish death metal that didn't have the typical Swedish sound that bands like Entombed and Dismember were known for." Rather, their aggressive style with heavy riffs and deep powerful vocals was compared to Florida death metal. [9]
The lyrics deal with "diabolical blasphemy, [...] death, darkness, destruction, revolution, war, drugs, sex, black magic and of course rock'n'roll." [10] Jon Kristiansen described The Crown as "a less philosophical, unyielding thrash band". [11] Legacy writer Volkmar Weber described it as surprising "what depth the lyrics have [...] profound inner views and attitudes to life from people who know what they are talking about". [10]
Current line-up
Former members
Timeline
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, featuring double kick and blast beat techniques; minor keys or atonality; abrupt tempo, key, and time signature changes; and chromatic chord progressions. The lyrical themes of death metal may include slasher film-style violence, political conflict, religion, nature, philosophy, true crime and science fiction.
Thrash metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo. The songs usually use fast percussive beats and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead guitar work.
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Frédéric Leclercq. The band's lineup has changed multiple times throughout its 42-year career, most noticeably with their bassists and lead guitarists. Petrozza and Reil are the only two original members left in Kreator, although the latter took a break from the band from 1994 to 1996. Yli-Sirniö has been the lead guitarist of Kreator since 2001, while Leclercq joined in 2019 as the replacement of Christian "Speesy" Giesler, who had been a member of the band since 1994.
Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Vällingby in March 1983. Named after Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory, they are considered pioneers of black metal and Viking metal. The book Lords of Chaos described Bathory's first four albums as "the blueprint for Scandinavian black metal."
Possessed is an American thrash metal band, originally formed in 1982 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. They have gone through many lineup changes, with bassist/vocalist Tom Angelripper the only constant member. The band is currently composed of Angelripper, guitarists Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik and Yorck Segatz, and drummer Toni Merkel. Sodom has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal, along with Kreator, Destruction and Tankard. Sodom heavily influenced the German black metal scene, and is regarded as a pioneer of death metal. Mike McPadden wrote that the most Venom-blackened of German "Three Kings", Sodom further merged thrash and death metal into a "wicked and decadent sound".
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1979 in Richmond, California. Their current lineup consists of guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus, bassist Jack Gibson, drummer Tom Hunting, and lead vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza. There are no original members left in Exodus other than Hunting, who has departed from the band twice, in 1989 and 2004, but rejoined in 2007. Exodus is also notable for including a then-unknown Kirk Hammett, who was the band's lead guitarist from its inception to his departure in 1983, when he left to join fellow Bay Area thrash metal band Metallica as Dave Mustaine's replacement. Holt has been most consistent member throughout various lineup changes and breakups, and is the only member to appear on all of Exodus' recordings. Much of the band's career has also been affected by feuds between both band members and record companies, two extended hiatuses, deaths of former band members and drug addictions.
Destruction is a German thrash metal band formed in 1982. They have been credited as one of the "Big Four" of the German thrash metal scene, the others being Kreator, Sodom and Tankard. In addition to helping pioneer black metal, Destruction was part of the second wave of thrash metal in the mid-to-late 1980s, along with US bands Testament, Sacred Reich, Death Angel and Dark Angel. For most of the 1990s, the band was not signed to a record label and self-produced their albums until they signed a contract with Nuclear Blast in the early 2000s.
Deathcrush is the debut EP and overall first commercial release by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. It was released in August 1987 by Posercorpse Music.
Believer is an American technical thrash metal band from the late 1980s and early 1990s, that plays a hybrid of thrash and progressive metal. Believer is known for its innovative use of symphonic elements in thrash metal, featuring some of the earliest examples of symphonic metal. Their lyrics deal with topics of philosophy, theology and social issues.
The Absence is an American melodic death metal band from Tampa, Florida. Their style has been described as aggressive thrash metal with Scandinavian metal influences. They were previously signed to Metal Blade Records and are now signed to M-Theory Audio.
Crowned in Terror is the fifth album by Swedish melodic death metal band The Crown. This is one of two albums by The Crown not to have Johan Lindstrand on vocals. Instead Tomas Lindberg handled the vocal duties. Later, the vocals were re-recorded by Lindstrand and the album was re-released as Crowned Unholy.
The Burning is the debut album by Crown of Thorns, originally released in 1995 and later re-issued after the band changed their name to the Crown. The album infuses traditional thrash metal-based death metal with melodic black metal elements.
Eternal Death is the second album of Crown of Thorns. It was originally released in 1997 and later re-issued under the band's current name, The Crown. This album downplays the thrash metal-element of the band's sound considerably, favoring instead a more black metal-oriented sound.
One Man Army and the Undead Quartet was a Swedish band, that played a fusion of melodic death metal and thrash metal. The band was formed by vocalist Johan Lindstrand after the breakup of The Crown. After two albums on Nuclear Blast Records, they moved to Massacre Records. Their third album, Grim Tales, received lukewarm reviews.
Crowned Unholy is the seventh studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band The Crown. It is a remake of the band's fifth studio album, Crowned in Terror, with re-recorded vocal tracks by Johan Lindstrand, re-recorded bass tracks by Magnus Olsfelt, a new version of the intro now programmed by drummer Janne Saarenpää, drum sound digitally enhanced by Janne, and synthesizer-enhanced parts, all programmed by Janne.
Doomsday King is the eighth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band The Crown which was released on 27 September 2010 via Century Media Records.
Death Is Not Dead is the ninth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band The Crown which was released by Century Media Records on 13 January 2015. In this album, Johan Lindstrand returned for the first time since his departure after Possessed 13 came out in 2003. The album is the first not to feature lead guitarist Marcus Sunesson or drummer Janne Saarenpää, with Robin Sorqvist replacing the former. Drums on this album were performed by guitarist Marko Tervonen, except track 4 which features Henrik Axelsson. Axelsson would go on to join the band officially and appears on the following two albums.
Cobra Speed Venom is the tenth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band The Crown. The album was released on 16 March 2018 via Metal Blade Records and featured an appearance of Robin Sorqvist and Henrik Axelsson.
Jeramie Kling is an American drummer, recording engineer, producer, and live sound engineer for the metal bands The Absence and Venom Inc. He is also a member of Ribspreader (drums), Goregäng, and Metal Blade act Necromancing the Stone. Kling was a member of death metal band Massacre from 2019 to 2020. In 2021, he formed the band Inhuman Condition with Massacre and Obituary bassist Terry Butler (ex-Death) and Taylor Nordberg. In August 2024, Kling joined thrash metal band Overkill as touring drummer.
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