Band: Crown Magnetar
Country: United States
EP Title: Alone in Death
Label: Unique Leader
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
Release Date: 25 March 2022
Band Members:
Vocals – Dan Tucker
Guitar – Nick Burnett
Drums – Grant Robinson
Bass – Byron London
Underground darlings, Crown Magnetar, hails from Colorado Springs in the US and has certainly made
their mark since their founding in 2017. The band has been prolific in the amount of output of late,
having released their debut album The Codex of Flesh, less than a year ago to much critical acclaim. The
band plays a brand of technical deathcore with blackened death / black metal aesthetics and should
mainly appeal to fans of Beneath the Massacre, Signs of the Swarm, Thy Art is Murder and Lorna Shore.
In comparison with The Codex of Flesh, no drastic changes have occurred in the band’s sound, so existing
fans should find this release appetizing if they had been left wanting for more Crown Magnetar. The
band however seems tighter, with vocalist Dan Tucker’s performance showing the greatest
improvements. His death squeals are deeper, more controlled and in general his vocal performance just
seem to have been upgraded to a new level. In addition to the vocal performance, the guitar work and
drumming on display here is of an extremely high standard.
The EP opens with the title track Alone in Death, which is a slower affair, almost as if warming up the
listener’s ears. However, proceedings significantly speed up with Hellsphere and then the rest of the EP
just punches you in the face before exiting with the atmospheric, yet antagonistic, track God is my
Enemy. The peak for this release must be Realistic Flesh Mask which was also released prior to the
release of the EP with a music video (See the video here). It is fast, varied, atmospheric and adequately
showcases what to expect from the material on this release. Graverot is another stand out track and
exhibits pure speed and brutality.
While listening to the release on repeat an interesting pattern emerged: The songs start out with speed
and aggression and then the break-down sections are utilized to inject the Black / Blackened Death
Metal aesthetic into the songs as they end. Of course, this may become formulaic after a while, but the
EP is too short to really notice it. Speaking of the blackened death aesthetic, the EP artwork deserves a
special mention as well, as it is a beautiful piece of art.
To conclude, Alone in Death is a brutal punch in the face from a band that seems focused and, on the
rise creatively. The EP doesn’t overstay its welcome but stays just long enough to make one excited for
the next release.
Follow Crown Magnetar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify
Rating – 8/10
Reviewed by Leon du Preez
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