French mixmasters Svart Crown play a murky form of blackened death metal, sounding at times like recent Deathspell Omega. There’s also a lot of influence from modern blasthordes such as Behemoth, the band approaching their genre with a modern technicality rather than the old-school focus I was rather hoping for. Despite that, Witnessing The Fall is a more than interesting introduction to Svart Crown’s considerable talents, songs being blast-fuelled oceans of carefully-controlled chaos that writhe and buckle beneath you most seductively, varying their approach from atmospheric crawl to all-out fury. This was actually a nice surprise to me, pulled in by the promising name and the shared drummer with Glorior Belli – Svart Crown were formed in 2004 and members have done time in other acts such as Addicted and Celtic Blood, yet this is a remarkably well-forged vision from a band only on their second album. Heck, even introduction Where The Light Ends is a compelling, tense build-up that explodes rather epically into first track proper Colosseum, frantic blasts and shuddering waves of riffage devolving quickly into an enjoyable Behemothic tantrum.
Dogs Of God continues in a similar manner, almost a continuance of the previous track, slowing for melodic atmospheric buzzes, speeding into a complex mid-paced surge that shows the band’s skills off at their best. It’s hard to say who’s the most talented member, as they play as a real unit, even vocalist JB fitting right in. Nahash The Temptator’s epic meander is a highlight, as is the almost invocatory feel of Here Comes Your Salvation, and An Eternal Descent, starting life as a technical bulldozer and ending as an insane atmospheric dirge. Eight-minute finale Of Sulphur And Fire is probably my favourite of the bunch, beginning with ominous melody and slowly growing into a doomish crawl, building speed and spitting venom, marvellous stuff. Of course, praise must be tempered with criticism; if the band have a fault, it’s that they can sound a little too much like a Behemoth clone at times – Incestuous Breath an example in point. The oddness of the riffs and general unsettling atmosphere helps to distinguish them, but it wouldn’t hurt for them to develop their own sound a little more. I’m more than prepared to recommend them despite that, as the band’s form of extreme metal is a very enjoyable one, growing on you like a particularly unhealthy form of mushroom. Svart Crown is a name to remember.
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