Embedded Files
FROZEN CROWN “The Legend of the Six Kings”
FROZEN CROWN “The Legend of the Six Kings”
By Bob Burner
It is great to see the power metal genre gaining the momentum it has over the past few years and loads of new bands putting out amazing albums and not rehashing the same ole stuff over and over. Italian power metal band FROZEN CROWN now have released their sixth album and this is the first one I have listened to. To be honest I always wrote them off as just another power metal band with a female singer trying to ride the NIGHTWISH wave. I hate being like that but in the late 2000’s this was the trend. I hear a lot of people praise this band in high regards so I was excited to finally check them out and give them a fair shake at things. Will it be more of the same or something fresh and new?
“Lightning in the Sky” is the first track and this is what bands need to do on their opening track. Come out firing on all cylinders. I was not expecting something so strong and powerful so this was a great surprise. It was like getting a knuckle sandwich but in the form of some catchy power metal. I didn’t even need to ask to hold the cheese since there was none being offered. FROZEN CROWN kicks off this album with some high powered catchy riffs and vocal harmonies to put them way ahead of others in the genre. If you were expecting NIGHTWISH or the other countless symphonic style bands, look somewhere else. Here we have a great hybrid of symphonic and traditional power metal with a fresh new take. The vocals by Giada “Jade” Etro pack a punch and command the listener without being soft or operatic. The songs really gives the listener something to get hooked and draw you in to await what is coming up next. This song is 3 minutes of power and speed.
The album is packed with amazing harmonies, riffs, gang style choruses, power, and so much more. Each song is a little over 3 minutes so there is no long epic stuff here or bloating to make the listener check how much is left. No boring intros, no prog to weigh things down and none of the songs blend together. What you do get is killer tracks like “The One” which the vocals command and destroy. This was my favorite song on the album. The music gets into your ears and never wants to leave. Each song is packed with power and pulls no punches and gives the fans something to enjoy through the whole ride.
Then out of nowhere when you think you know what is next, the band drops THE GOO GOO DOLLS’ cover of “Iris”. It threw me for a loop since a lot of bands keep the cover for the end track but this is dropped right in the middle of the album. But it works. The band does their own twist on the popular song so it is never a direct copy and one could almost imagine the band wrote this song. They do speed it up a bit and make it more of a power metal version of the song. But it works and works well.
The remaining tracks on the album grow stronger and stronger as you go along till the ending which is the title track “The Legend of the Six Kings”. This one blends some male harsh vocals with some fantastic female vocals. Now this has been done to death, but the harsh vocals are not your cookie monster Beauty and the Beast style like most bands, it almost reminds me of ENSIFERUM mixed in. Now this is a good thing. While this is the final song on the album it is a great way to go out on a super high epic note. It almost reminds me of the final battle in a great fantasy or sci fi movie with the way this epic songs flows and ends. It just packs in so much power that when it is over you go back to relisten to it over and over.
This is a fantastic album and one I highly recommend to anyone into power metal and if you are one who has not ventured into the genre, this is a perfect place to start. Even if you are tired of the genre this one may pull you back in showing there are great things still happening. Hats off to the band for putting out something so good and catchy and not falling into the traps so many bands have. So run and go to your local shop or order online if needed and check out FROZEN CROWN’s new album and you will not be disappointed. And believe me. My life is full of disappointments and it was great to be shocked and blown away by something new.
Report abuse