Floridian doomers Northern Crown made their debut with The Others two years ago and I was reading the press release below and trying to figure out why I never reviewed the record. It was the cover art that gave me a bummer vibe. Well, the art for their new one, which is self-titled, set for release on Oct. 12 and which features a cover of My Dying Bride‘s “Your River” from 1993’s classic Turn Loose the Swans, is a zeppelin flying over a dusty and scratched out landscape. I’m not going to read into it too hard beyond “blimps are fun,” and yes, that’s a personal choice I’m making.

They don’t have any audio out from the new full-length as yet, but October is a ways away — though not nearly as much of a ways as it feels like it should be in my feeble brain — so one assumes there’s some forthcoming. The blimp-y art and the tracklisting and other details have made their way out, though, and you’ll find them all below, courtesy of the PR wire:

U.S. Doom Lords NORTHERN CROWN Releasing Self-Titled Sophomore Album October 12

U.S. Doom Lords NORTHERN CROWN will release their self-titled sophomore album on October 12. The band has sharpened the approach on the forthcoming full-length, combining more dirty rock organ and chunky guitar riffs with their trademark doom-isms. Following up on their debut album The Others, their self-titled sophomore release maintains the smoke and mirrors of the first EP In The Hands of The Betrayer but leans more in the direction of the first record and the band’s oldest rock influences – DIO, RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, and BLACK SABBATH.

NORTHERN CROWN handled mixing on their own again, but brought in the mastering talents of Tony Lindgren from Sweden’s Fascination Street Studios (Witchcraft, Enslaved, Amorphis) for the final touches. Artwork by prolific artist Travis Smith (Opeth, Katatonia, Death) captures the album’s winding atmosphere, rounding out the release.

Reflecting the uncertainty of the dark times we exist in at the moment, Northern Crown tackles the difficult subject of how well we really know ourselves and how that shapes what we do and become. Echoing their previous releases’ indulgent 10-minute+ epics, the track, “The Desert and The Wind,” nods to the prog-heads, while the band also includes a glowing tribute to My Dying Bride with a full cover of “Your River.” The record also introduces a lineup change, with vocalist and guitarist Frank Serafine handling drums. Weaponlord’s mighty Leona Hayward returns on bass, backing Zachary Randall’s guitar alchemy and harsh vocals. Solos from Nightfall/Dark Hound lead shred-monster Evan Hensley punctuate the record.

Northern Crown will be available on CD and Digital Formats at https://doommet.al

Track List

1. I Am Your Slave
2. Merciless, They Let You Suffer
3. Forged from Nothing
4. Chasing the Sun
5. The Desert and the Wind
6. Righteous & Pure
7. By Demons Bidden
8. Your River

Northern Crown is:
Zachary Randall – Rhythm and Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Lead and Backing Vocals
Frank R. Serafine – Lead and Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar, Drums
Leona Hayward – Bass

Additional Performers:
Evan Hensley – Lead Guitar

https://doommet.al
facebook.com/NorthernCrownDoom/
https://twitter.com/NrthrnCrownDoom
https://music.northerncrownband.com/

Northern Crown, The Others (2016)

Floridian trad doom metallers Northern Crown will issue their debut EP, In the Hands of the Betrayer, on Oct. 14. The self-releasing group is comprised of a core duo, guitarist/keyboardist/songwriter Zachary Randall and vocalist/lead guitarist Frank Serafine, and to flesh out the short release, they brought in a variety of guest players from guitarist Sally Gates and bassist Randy Piro of Orbweaver to drummer Josh Brown and keyboardist Roberto Celentano, whose contributions to the overall melody greatly enhance Serafine‘s traditional metal vocal style. They wear their influences on their sleeve — as one might expect for a new band out of the gate either in the process of solidifying a lineup or deciding if that’s how they want to go at all — to the point of making the Candlemass cover “Crystal Ball” the centerpiece of In the Hands of the Betrayer, but even to that well-established classic of the genre they bring an innate edge of their own.

Elsewhere on the release, the opening title-track launches with a galloping groove, and the ambient interlude “Approaching, Encroaching Storm” sets the table for the 11-minute closer “To Thee I Give an Orchid” to plunge into organ-laced doomed expanse. Next to that track, the longest piece on In the Hands of the Betrayer is “A Perfectly Realized Torment” at 7:27, the second cut which tames the back-and-forth pacing of the opener to a consistent riff-led chug, casually influenced by Trouble but interested in a lushness and fullness of sound, and working with an overarching echo that brings to mind some of Solitude Aeturnus‘ classic drama and emotionally weighted push. The song starts heavy and ends heavy, but there’s a building sense to it as the verse appears and then recedes into the dismal ether of riffing and intermittent keys. In the end, “A Perfectly Realized Torment” relies almost as much on keys as guitar to portray the apex, but however they get there, “A Perfectly Realized Torment” displays a lot of the character of the release as a whole and makes a fitting summary of Northern Crown‘s doom in its early going.

Because of that, I’m happy to be able to host the premiere of “A Perfectly Realized Torment” for your streaming pleasure. Please find it on the player below, and doom on:

[mp3player width=480 height=200 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=northern-crown-a-perfectly-realized-torment.xml]

Northern Crown‘s In the Hands of the Betrayer was recorded by Zachary Randall and Frank Serafine and mixed by Randall. The EP is out Oct. 14. More info at the links.

Northern Crown on Thee Facebooks

Northern Crown’s website

Northern Crown on Bandcamp