Crowned In Earth are a band that from first listen I thought I would always like. They have a classic doom approach and sound that is timeless and my opinion has not changed with this new album, however I wasn't expecting it to sound like this.
It seems this two-piece band have spent a lot of time brushing up on 70's heavy prog sounds as well as delving pretty deep into the waters of 70's occult rock music. Without even listening to this album you immediately know something is up. The album art with its 70's vibe and Roger Dean-esque fonts automatically makes you think of the 70's but musically, there are even bigger surprises in store.
Now this is still doomy but apart from some obvious Sabbath-isms, this album sounds more like a mix of Cream, Van Der Graaf Generator, Camel and even early Yes. So where is the doom connection? Well this has Cathedral written all over it but make no mistake, this is groovy retro-doom and it even includes a Mellotron player!
The album with only 5 tracks and 3 that run well over the 11 minute mark are psychedelic doom adventures that are meticulously well-crafted. Songs have equal amounts heavy riffing, dreamy psychedelic and prog-rock passages and it never gets bogged down in any one direction. There are also many tempo changes and some of the most infectious melody lines released in the past year.
Main-man Kevin Lawry (vocals, guitars, bass & keyboards) is obviously gifted as a musician but he also has to get some serious pats on the back for his songwriting chops and finesse. These songs are wonderfully constructed, beautifully balanced and while the influences ring loud and clear, it certainly doesn't sound like a direct rip-off of anyone but it does get close at times. Opening track 'Ride The Storm' is pure mid-era Cathedral right down to some very Dorrian-esque vocals while the closing track 'Given Time' sounds very much like a 'heavy' take on bands like Camel and Atomic Rooster. However nothing is too similar and the songs are so good that any similarities are largely irrelevant anyway.
It seems after some searching for a direction to go in, Lawry and Crowned In Earth have found their niche. It might be a clichéd, well-used approach these days and you may be thinking, 'oh no not another retro-doom album' but this one stands head and shoulders above most other albums in this vein. The production is perfect - just the right balance of old-school and modern. Weak points - well there isn't any really but the vocals could be better if you want to nit-pick but I wont be doing that anytime soon to this killer release. Some folks might be turned off by this release with its retro flavour et al but I urge you to give it a chance. You won't hear too many albums as good as this one in 2013. Load your bong and drown yourself in the psychedelic sabbathism that is 'A Vortex Of Earthly Chimes,' - this band has arrived and deserve your attention....9.5/10.
Words: Ed & Sally
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It seems this two-piece band have spent a lot of time brushing up on 70's heavy prog sounds as well as delving pretty deep into the waters of 70's occult rock music. Without even listening to this album you immediately know something is up. The album art with its 70's vibe and Roger Dean-esque fonts automatically makes you think of the 70's but musically, there are even bigger surprises in store.
Now this is still doomy but apart from some obvious Sabbath-isms, this album sounds more like a mix of Cream, Van Der Graaf Generator, Camel and even early Yes. So where is the doom connection? Well this has Cathedral written all over it but make no mistake, this is groovy retro-doom and it even includes a Mellotron player!
The album with only 5 tracks and 3 that run well over the 11 minute mark are psychedelic doom adventures that are meticulously well-crafted. Songs have equal amounts heavy riffing, dreamy psychedelic and prog-rock passages and it never gets bogged down in any one direction. There are also many tempo changes and some of the most infectious melody lines released in the past year.
Main-man Kevin Lawry (vocals, guitars, bass & keyboards) is obviously gifted as a musician but he also has to get some serious pats on the back for his songwriting chops and finesse. These songs are wonderfully constructed, beautifully balanced and while the influences ring loud and clear, it certainly doesn't sound like a direct rip-off of anyone but it does get close at times. Opening track 'Ride The Storm' is pure mid-era Cathedral right down to some very Dorrian-esque vocals while the closing track 'Given Time' sounds very much like a 'heavy' take on bands like Camel and Atomic Rooster. However nothing is too similar and the songs are so good that any similarities are largely irrelevant anyway.
It seems after some searching for a direction to go in, Lawry and Crowned In Earth have found their niche. It might be a clichéd, well-used approach these days and you may be thinking, 'oh no not another retro-doom album' but this one stands head and shoulders above most other albums in this vein. The production is perfect - just the right balance of old-school and modern. Weak points - well there isn't any really but the vocals could be better if you want to nit-pick but I wont be doing that anytime soon to this killer release. Some folks might be turned off by this release with its retro flavour et al but I urge you to give it a chance. You won't hear too many albums as good as this one in 2013. Load your bong and drown yourself in the psychedelic sabbathism that is 'A Vortex Of Earthly Chimes,' - this band has arrived and deserve your attention....9.5/10.
Words: Ed & Sally
