The Crown - Deathrace King
2000 Metal Blade

Track Listing:
1.  Deathexplosion
2.  Executioner:  Slayer Of The Light
3.  Back From The Grave
4.  Devil Gate Ride
5.  Vengeance
6.  Rebel Angel
7.  I Won't Follow
8.  Blitzkrieg Witchcraft
9.  Dead Man's Song
10. Total Satan
11. Killing Star (Superbia Luxuria XXX)

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Johan Lindstrand
Guitars:  Marko Tervonen, Marcus Sunesson
Bass:  Magnus Olsfelt
Drums:  Janne Saarenpãã
Guest Vocals:  Tomas Lindberg, Mika Luttinen

Website:  www.thecrownonline.com

Shev's Rating:  A
Average Rating:  A

Shev's Review:
One part thrash, one part death metal, one part Motörhead.  Sounds like a simple enough recipe for The Crown to follow, but the results are far from simple.  Deathrace King, much like the name suggests, is a flailing, high-energy, no bullshit, death & roll masterpiece.  As catchy as it is complex, The Crown manages to use just the right amount of melody along with whiplash speed and aggression to produce one of the most memorable slabs of metal ever recorded.

Johan Lindstrand on vocals does an amazing job, lending his raspy voice to the equally raspy (and dueling) guitar work of Marko Tervonen and Marcus Sunesson.  Add on top of this some incredible drumming from Janne Saarenpãã who insists on not ruining the stew with the over usage of blast beats, and the bass work of Magnus Olsfelt which has his moments, but is primarily used to add depth to the music.  Some cameo appearances by Tomas Lindberg and Mika Luttinen add some flavor, and makes Deathrace King one album that should be in the collections of all fans of death, thrash, and rock & roll alike.

Song summaries include...

1. Deathexplosion - Highly energetic, straight-forward riff with off-the-wall drumming.  Impressive thrashy guitar solo to look out for, but it loses some steam at the end.  A-
2. Executioner:  Slayer Of The Light - Powerful guitars that don't rely on the hustle, but instead lets the insane drumming hold it up.  Chorus seems out of place, as does the interesting southern rock mixed with thrash guitar solo.  Astounding song regardless.  A
3. Back From The Grave - Another cool riff, but with simpler drums.  Break neck, non-stop speed without becoming the least bit boring.  A
4. Devil Gate Ride - Great vigorous driving music.  Tomas Lindberg of At The Gates fame can be heard here, too.  A
5. Vengeance - Slow, pounding, droning song compared to everything else on Deathrace King.  Not something you would expect from The Crown on a death & roll release of this caliber.  D+
6. Rebel Angel - Incredibly high energy, as well as The Crown's all-time best song.  A+
7. I Won't Follow - High end guitars are a bit annoying, but yet another  crushing song.  Sounds a bit like Testament dumbed down but played twice as fast.  B+
8. Blitzkrieg Witchcraft - A bit slow for The Crown, but fast if comparing to a lot of other music out there.  Catchy, chugging tune, but a little on the cheesy side (especially the lyrics).  B+
9. Dead Man's Song - Another slow one like Vengeance, but instead of being boring filler it's some interesting material.  High pitched wails are headache inducing, though.  C
10. Total Satan - Unadulterated full force speed.  The repetition of "Total Satan" is a bit much, and the slow break in the middle kills the mood a little.  None the less, Mika Luttinen of Impaled Nazarene can be heard here.  B+
11. Killing Star (Superbia Luxuria XXX) - Really cool atmospheric thrash intro which is border line stoner rock followed by some of the most explosive death & roll ever recorded.  Guitar work on this one is just plain incredible.  A

Shev's Rating:  A

Also be sure to read:
The Crown - Hell Is Here by Shev
Impaled Nazarene - Nihil by Uncle Meat
Obscene Eulogy - A Portal Into Fire by Shev
Obscene Eulogy - Defining Hate:  The Truth Undead by Shev