CROWN LANDS

THE SETUP

A stone’s throw away from Toronto, or a quick drive east via the Ontario Highway 401, is home to a prolific progressive rock duo named Crown Lands. On a truly upward trajectory, this larger-than-life two-piece came across my radar through word of mouth, but then ultimately seeing them in person opening for Bruce Dickinson during his most recent solo tour in the city, was a wonderful introduction as a concert reviewer, photographer, and concertgoer.

WOW, if Rush had kids, this would be their kids’ band for the next generation of rock music. Saying this holds some serious weight, given the pedigree of Canada’s legendary three piece, the band Crown Lands, brings a lot of life to the speakers, both in a live setting and also in the earbuds of the world. In this decade, the band has been cranking out music consistently. When the newest album, Apocalypse, via Insideout Music, was announced, I absolutely had to review this after being completely enamoured by their phenomenal, larger-than-life live performance.

THE SONGS

‘PROCLAMATION I’
It almost feels like a mistake, but there is a second pause before we hear the first gentle, calming noises of wind breezing from one ear to another. The first programmed notes are part sombre, haunting, and eerie; everything gets ramped up with multiple layers of vocals until we hear a nice kick of heavy synth notes. The shortest song on the album ends with snare drums, a definite increase in volume, and more layers of vocals, moving right into the next song.

‘FAST SOLDIER OF THE SYNDICATE’
Here we have some loud, absolutely raw riffs for a wonderful intro, matched with very clean drums. It’s incredible how crystal clear this all sounds in my ears; through multiple playthroughs, I feel like I can hear every single note, but I’m picking up on notes I didn’t hear before—music that both tickles the brain and keeps me fully engaged. Impressively still are the vocals by Cody, who also handles the drum section of this duo; impressive stamina to do both at the same time. This song has some piped-in “audience” chanting and what feels like hands clapping at one point, which will no doubt translate well live. My favourite, thought-provoking lyric is in this song, with “How does one distill the truth from confusion on the streets?”

‘THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS’
The second single released in support of this album features clean electric guitar melodies paired with a ring of chimes that greets the ears. It has a much slower tempo than the rest of the album up to this point. We are met with the sheer dynamic range of vocals on this song; although effortless, I’m sure, the sonically awesome change in octaves, if you didn’t know about this band, comes across like multiple people. This song is a great example of the band’s depth, especially during the short instrumental melody. The keyboard melody is mixed with the powerful bass guitar and gong notes. It is the shortest song with lyrics, ending far too quickly.

‘BLACKSTAR’
The third and final single for this album, I absolutely love the bass noodling that appears very early into this song and shines through at multiple points throughout. It was clearly a solid choice as a promotional single, one of the best examples of this band’s strengths, and another perfect song for radio play and concert settings.

‘THE FALL’
Triumphant, huge riffs open this song before the tempo is brought down, where we hear a short riff melody, first without vocals. Then, with vocals, it’s almost impossible to listen without headbanging or nodding with approval. The absolute climactic and powerful control of the vocals is fully on display; cheers, woo’s, and being entranced over the chorus make this song feel like a journey and, appropriately, actually make the listener feel like they are falling into the grasp of the music. It would be foolish not to mention the guitar solo towards the end of this song; although not blistering, it is an adventure of notes.

‘THE REVENANTS I’
The slowest song on the album is complete with acoustic guitar, the signature soaring vocal stylings, and lots of melody for days. The only song on this album to feature a flute as one of the main instruments towards the end is the perfect way to close the first half of the album.

‘APOCALYPSE’
The final title track of the album (and the first single released) is a whopping 19 minutes long, making it the band’s longest song to date. Through blending modern and classic sounds, it is an absolute masterclass in what this band brought to the table through an epic story of thirteen chapters. Vocally, I absolutely loved the brief moments of back-and-forth chanting, which was incredibly smart to bounce them between the left and right ear channels. With the aforementioned chapters and structure, this track is basically the length of an EP rather than a song. Piecing everything together into one song would be absolutely incredible to see live. This song in particular has a wonderful callback, bringing us back to the beginning of the album with the haunting wind dancing through the speakers after the last words of “Alas, it ends, apocalypse” leave us in the void.

THE VERDICT

For a concept album, it not only plays very well with the band’s stellar discography but is also filled with something for everyone, transcending and connecting generations of listeners, and I would question whether someone didn’t find at least one enjoyable part. If you are a fan of rock music, the Canadian duo continues to deliver, outperform, and elevate not only our country’s music but also the progressive rock genre with this stellar release.