Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
From Spain, Crownless plays a dark brand of symphonic power metal. The band was formed in 2006 and released their initial demo in 2008. In 2011 they released their debut full-length “Dark Evolution”, and here it is. Crownless is fronted by the strong soaring female vocals of Vanessa Nane and sometimes male vocals are provided by bassist Sergio Mena.“Lost Inside” opens things up and the vocal dynamics between the two singers is well evident, Vanessa has a very diverse voice and Sergio has a strong clean vocal style that meshes well with Vanessa’s. “Dark Embrace” is next and Vanessa shows her ability to sing in a semi-operatic style as well as more of a power metal technique. Next is “Ravens in the Storm”, this song is one of my favorites and it is just a darkly beautiful tune. “Omen” is next and features guest vocals from Raul of the band Cripta. Other highlights include: “Fading Dreams”, “Silent Tears” and “Freak Garden”. For the track “Thorns” Crownless are joined by Mats Levén (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion, At Vance, among others). This is one of the heavier songs here and Mats’ presence helps propel this one into being one of the better tracks on “Dark Evolution”. “Dark Evolution” is concluded by the hugely epic 13-minute “Mirrors”. The song is enormous in scope and is divided into five parts: “Eyes of Sand”, “Not Me”, “Shards”, “Solitude” and “Eyes of Sand (reprise)”. This is just a great artistic statement for a young band to make and a great way to close the album. There are a lot of really cool power metal bands emerging these days. I don’t think I have ever seen such quality associated with any one genre in metal. There are some bands who are rapidly climbing to the top of the genre, and with “Dark Evolution”, Crownless is one such band.
Rating – 88/100
Tracklist
- Lost Inside
- Dark Embrace
- Ravens in the Storm
- Omen
- Fading Dreams
- Ataraxia
- Silent Tears
- Thorns
- Freak Garden
- Mirrors
Line Up
- Vanessa Nane Ramirez – Vocals
- Jorge Escudero – Guitars
- Sergio Mena – Bass & Vocals
- Pablo Sanchez – Keyboards
- Pablo Bazan – Drums
Links