#VAGABONDZREVIEW: CROWEN - PROPHECY EP

It's time for all melodeath listeners to stick to smartphone screens awaiting for the midnight to come because tomorrow we can expect something unusual, extraordinary, striking and captivating from one promising Finnish band.

Yes, I'm speaking of Finnish folk-influenced melodic death metal band Crowen. Tomorrow the band is set to release their debut Prophecy EP and surely it's time to prepare for that.

I got an amazing opportunity to review the state-of-the-art Prophecy EP before it's official release and I can expect it to fill up my veins with another dose of pure and genuine Finnish heavy metal. Earlier I was reviewing the band’s single Exosus that is available for listening already. To ensure the band is preparing something incredible, read my earlier review and put Exosus with highest volume possible.

Enough words because I'm eager to start listening to the brand new EP!

To begin with, let's move to the band itself. Crowen was founded on 2019 by Esa Uusimaa (Rain of Acid, ex-Wolfheart (live)). The band released their first single In Arms on September 2020 and is set to release their debut EP Prophecy later in 2021. A single named Exosus is released from the EP and its music video is available for listening now. It worth bearing in mind that Esa Uusimaa has done all mixing and mastering duties for Prophecy and it deserves huge respect because few bands are ready to accomplish sound engineering stuff and fulfill this work in talented way and on the highest level.

CROWEN - PROPHECY EP (out on December 10 via Inverse Records)

Prophecy includes 5 tracks with previously released Exosus. Now it's time to start listening to those. I would like to touch every song in particular first and then I'll speak of the record as a whole. Let's go!

HER WORDS

Her Words has become the opening track for the EP and the turning point for the surprises to appear. As for me, Her Words is way not typical opening track for a heavy metal album thank to its incredible catchy features.

The beginning comes from nowhere with synth tranquil melody that hides some anxious or even alarming vibes. Such idea is nicely caught by deep and rigid kick that has even more of disturbing shades that catches your breath. I find that distant drums effect totally captivating and highlighting this peaceful and gloomy mood amazingly.

Another feature I find gripping is the mixture of female speaking on the foreground and male on background respectively. Female speaking stays confident and calm while male is growling loudly and painfully. I think there must be really deep meaning and feelings covered with such unusual but catchy opening song, maybe some kind of dialogue between two people.

For me Her Words seems to be great illustration of inner pain domination when outwardly you stay calm and self-controlled but no one knows of your exact feelings range living inside and dominating you inwardly. The growls, deep sounding drums and wide, heavy guitar on the background accurately demonstrate those vibes and throughout the intro deep drum beats are pointing out the gloominess very well that are kept being supported with both female and male vocals.

SEER’S PROPHECY

The beginning of the song is totally opposite to Her Words and now it’s time for heavy metal as I hear incredibly fast blast beats and scream in the beginning. What an enormous energy is situated here, it’s just the pure madness…

The first verse flashes with deep drums accompanied with deep growling vocals and muted guitar on the background. Being a guitar player I can’t stop listening to every guitar note played. The first association I catch is surely Insomnium, one of the melodeath bands I’m seriously into. The guitar riff on the background makes me strongly remind of Shadows Of Dying Sun album and the way guitars parts were written there. Both for Insomnium and Crowen much doom and heaviness is situated in such kind of guitar riff and I find it great way to emphasize the growling vocals. The guitars in this case show calmer, milder and gloomier character of the song while vocals keep bringing that energy that enlivens the song.

So that combination can definitely bring the desired result and become a turning point for the music to sound exciting and thrilling, like you're feeling something to explode and fulfill you with pure metal energy. In my experience, it always comes to true banger when two opposite moods face each other in one song because you’re always waiting the moment of adrenaline rush when the guitars speed would double and drums start naturally killing.

What turned out to be totally unexpected is the chorus that didn’t stand out of the main idea and kept that… But now it’s time to gather more power! With accomplishing music by catchy lead melody, the vocals are now sound more piercing and definite. The most capturing feature is the combination of growling vocals with lead melody that have been always one of the most attention-grabbing features especially when it comes to melodic death metal. And this moment has become my favorite, I think it enlivens the song pretty well.

It worth mentioning that the lead guitar melody unveils everything about Finnishness in music. Dreamy and accurate melody fulfilled with melancholy where folk influence is dominating over melodeath is way too intoxicating!

The banger now explodes with short but pretty capacious bridge that is totally the distinguishing feature of Crowen music where all instruments are killing simultaneously. Must be so wild live... The changes from instrumental parts to separated growling supported by drums are really rough but to my mind it's more about advantages of the song. Mostly because the song structure is complex and only after re-listening you can catch those vibes and live the music.

As the first lyric containing song Seer’s Prophecy has stayed pretty unusual keeping the idea of Her Words. I feel the band wanted to point out vocals and lead guitar here and they managed to do that greatly taking into account enormously strong and firm drums sound. During every song part where we hear vocals, other instruments excepting drums stay on the background while the growling vocals and drums domination keep kicking throughout the song.

But I must claim that the song ends in incredibly sharp and unexpected way...

SUBMISSION

…. to make the next song in DAMN wild! The heaviness of Submission is totally exhilarating and with those drums. I just can't figure out how they could song so perfect. We are now facing the classic metal song beginning where the gloomy features inherent to Crowen music are saved. For sure, Submission is to become the heaviest and thrashiest song for Prophecy EP. There's no sign of catchy melodics, only doom and heaviness and drums here have the vibes of the best thrash metal songs. Another time I feel Insomnium-like guitar riff that highlights the song throughout the verse.

Unexpectedly, next comes a mild feature to add up to melodics – a female backing vocals in the chorus accompanied with synth. I won't stop repeating how much clean vocals suit a melodic death metal song and as for Submisson - it's the needed decision to make the sound balmy. But should always be careful adding female vocals as far as they often cover the main idea and can even be distracting. Fortunately, here, it's only about advantages. The female backing vocals emphasized the chorus line while the main idea stayed the same. Another time Crowen surprises and I'm surely ready to hear more of surprises to come. And it came with catchy guitar solo closer to the end of the song, but unfortunately was too short... Still, it was nicely supported with wild blast beats and it turned out to be striking way to finish this true beast.

BLACK

After thrashy and beasty Submission the EP mood is replaced with incredibly touching piano melody supported with heavy guitars. Damn, what a perfect beginning and here I feel even more folk influence. This song is about to add up to melancholy very well.

The verse is made sound stronger and slower and lead guitar incorporated to this part softening it up enlivening with dynamic melody. The same growling vocals remain just fantastic and I especially like them in Black. Yeah, I'm find such melancholic songs suit a heavy album the best to show another side of heavy and thrashy music.

With slowly fading guitar and deep blast beats the idea changes to chorus and now... It's time for another surprise from the band. Featuring Shade Of Sorrow's Mika Kankainen and implementing clean vocals is just what this song needs. The vocals are incredibly touching and deep and personally I'd like to hear a bit more of them in Crowen songs because from this very moment I feel the real game changer to come. It feels like shiver down my spine every time when Black chorus starts. It's totally amazing and overwhelming feeling, namely when the both kind of vocals are featured in same song.

It's also important that Black is the only song to have full-length striking and piercing guitar solo. I must notice the talented work here once again as the solo is catchy and remarkable. Another intoxicating effect is the transition from guitar solo to growling vocals that start the moment when solo is still played. What a mind-blowing power that can be situated in initially small song part but remembered for a long time...

EXOSUS

Exosus is the mind-blower I've already reviewed, but still feel the need to point out that enormous burst of energy that starts fulfilling you right from the start. Perfect choice for the last EP song to gather up all the features mentioned my me before to make Exosus the most melodic song of the records. The true heavy metal power is situated there and every microsecond is like a sip of freedom that metal music supplies up with. Exosus is made to be hit song.

ABOUT THE ENTIRE RECORD

The whole record seems to be slight transition from death and thrash metal to melodic death metal with folk elements. The first half of the EP up to Black it true death metal thing with its dark blast beats, heavy guitars, distorted bass and growling vocals. Black demonstrates that transition with adding more melodics, incorporated piano melody, melancholy both in guitars and vocals including powerful and gloomy clean part that is totally intoxicating along with growling. Also the great folk influence is felt especially closer to the end of EP introduced with Black and Exosus.

First thing I must point out is incredible, exhilarating and powerful sound engineering work! Starting yet from this point, I feel this record to reach the top. The sound production as a whole is totally overwhelming. Every detail and microsecond is gently polished and this close and detailed work made the record shining and kicking. As I was mentioning before it’s close drums work that is the basis of a whole record. If drums are made in proper way, the whole sound will be kicking. As it was with Prophecy, the drums are recorded, mixed and mastered in incredibly talented way, the best kick and overheads section work I’ve ever heard on records. Speaking in details, the drums sound is live, and every drum range sounds like an example of proper recording.

Another thing is also correlated with the sound production.

Of course now it’s time to change for guitars that enlivens every second of the song with it's dynamic, balanced and heavy sound. With melodeath influence it reminds me of Insomnium in some moments and it's the kind of stuff I definitely find great. Also I would like to point out the significant changes in songs mood when the clean vocals are used and personally would like to hear such broadening the horizons in future releases along with adding more guitar solos. I feel a solo to be melody driver and the way the solo was made in Black definitely needs spreading.

All in all, I'm overwhelmed with such killer records I was obliged to listen to. A few bands can make such complex and in-detail work with every instrument and microsecond. Huge respect to Crowen and their accurate way of working! I would like to claim melodic death metal to be a versatile genre that's opened for experimenting that’s why it’s always interesting to drive it adding new shades as Crowen have perfectly done in their debut record.

Special thanks goes to Inverse Records and namely Joni Kantoniemi for opportunity to listen and review the Prophecy EP. Looking forward to hear more stuff from Crowen!

Prophecy EP will be released on December 10 via Inverse Records.

EP track list features the following songs: 01. Her Words 02. Seer's Prophecy 03. Submission 04. Black 05. Exosus CROWEN Line-up: Esa Uusimaa - Vocals, Guitars Aki Örni - Bass Teemu Hauta - Drums Mira Cibulka - Feature Vocals

UPD 10.12: The Prophecy EP is out NOW! Moreover, the official music video for Black was also released. Enjoy the outstanding performance of Crowen featuring Shade Of Sorrow and Mira Cibulka. CROWEN IN SOCIAL MEDIA:

Face/book: https://www.facebook.com/CrowenOfficial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crowenofficial Bandcamp: https://crowen.bandcamp.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Crowen86924114