CROWN

The End Of All Things PELAGIC

Industrial Gauls find rich pastures beyond the metal gate

As a post-metal duo, an identity crisis plagued Crown. The bubbling synths of their calmest moments evoked NIN, their titanic climaxes were more akin to Cult Of Luna, and there was little to unite those soundscapes. Happily, their third album eschews jarring breakdowns in favour of diversifying their industrial side. Although pre-existing loyalists may scoff, the result feels not only cohesive, but expansive.

The End Of All Things unfolds as it progresses, creeping to life with the pensive yet accessible Violence and

Neverland – plodding rockers that brim with electronic delicacy. Crown also immerse themselves in synthwave, spokenword and acoustic textures, all bound and interwoven by a slow, keys-driven dread. They may not make metal anymore, but in the process they’ve opened up new possibilities for genre transcendence that could sustain them for an entire career. ■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Blitz//berlin, Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke MATT MILLS