Reviews: Frozen Crown, Tungsten, Smoulder, Crimson Steel (Matt Bladen)

Frozen Crown - The Legend Of The Six Kings (Napalm Records)

Italian power metal act Frozen Crown return with their six album The Legend Of The Six Kings, giving us another ten tracks of bold, power metal that sits on the heavier end of the scale.

This record takes things further with an album that's darker in its sound, using more of a narrative style to these songs so vocalist Giada “Jade” Etro is able to mix up her vocal style a bit as guitarist Federico Mondelli adds growls and cleans to the Title Track, advancing Frozen Crowd towards melodeath than anywhere else.

It's like everything is permitted on this new album, there's Tolkien influences everywhere, especially on The One, while theres stories of resilience on Reborn, radio bothering melodic cuts such as River Of Time and even a cover of Iris by Goo Goo Dolls that gets a Euro power metal overhaul.

Every song showcases the musical skill of the band from the galloping rhythms of Niso Tomasini (drums) and Francesco Zof (bass), through the triple guitar interplay between Mondelli, Alessia Lanzone and Aleksandra Stamenkovic, all of whom are credited as lead guitar and prove that they all are with every virtuoso solo/harmonic melody on this record.

Power metal with more muscle, Frozen Crown still reign supreme in their own kingdom with album number six. 8/10

Tungsten - Ashes (Perception)

Ever wanted some modern power metal with yodelling then play Joker, the first track on the fifth album from Swedish band Tungsten. Guitarist Nick Johansson is the one singing to the milking cows here, as Mike Andersson provides the main vocals, his voice we'll suited to the melodic power style here, going from gritty lows to high screams.

Mike is joined by screams from bassist Karl "Kalle" Johansson on Bite My Tongue, Nick and Karl laying down the riffage while the changes of pace of is dictated by Niklas and Kalle's father Anders Johansson behind the kit, keeping the rudder in a strut for Supernova and a speed for Happy.

With so many power metal bands these days it's symphonic keys that's are the most important element to Tungsten's overall style, adding a bit of countrymen Ghost here, with Fuego Del Sol they add some throbbing Europop that would work well in Eurovision, industrial throb for Ted The Exorcist and folkisms on For Thee.

Tungsten are almost a jukebox if power metal styles, all linked by the synths shifting between the genre changes, Tungsten have a humours side that reminds me of Edguy, while when they really want to showcase their chops they do so with a track like The North Shall Rise which is a blitz of double kicks, chuggy riffs and a special vocal appearance from Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica.

Tungsten don't do anything radical on album six but they still deliver anthemic power metal. 7/10

Smoulder - Witch Wife In An Alien World (Cruz Del Sur Music)

Smoulder return with their third record of epic doom metal and with vocalist Sarah Ann's move to Finland, Witch Wife In An Alien World contains more black metal influences than on previous releases.

Having recorded a cover of Bathory before, the black metal influence of this record is not actually from the Scandinavian style but more so from the Hellenic scene where death and black combine for a more intense and muscular style of extreme metal that is perfect for the powerhouse sound of Smoulder, see both Crush The Neophytes and Empathy's Wrath.

It means that album three is a much more diverse release, with Sarah Ann's vocals on tracks such as Noitien Loitsu (sung in both English and Finnish) and Shadow Of The Vulture, adopting styles that you may not expect but fit brilliantly into this experimental approach to the album.

She has always been a brilliant singer, one of the best in the epic doom genre but here she shows that she can do much more than just that while the band; guitarists Collin Wolf and Shon Vincent, bassist Adam Blake and drummer Kevin Heste, take these changes to style in their stride, the studio band differing from the live one, though live guitarist Bootleg Henkka (Havukruunu), drops in for a solo

The spirit of epic doom remains on Water Wars and Their Name Lives On but Witch Wife In An Alien World, takes Smoulder further into the blackness, the inspiration of the black metal scene tightening its grip upon the band to make their third album an overall more menacing record. 8/10

Crimson Steel - Show No Fear (Heaven And Hell Records)

Heavy metal from Raleigh, North Carolina now with Show No Fear the new record from Crimson Steel. The intro As Above, So Below, lets you know what you're getting into with the sound of a battlefield, horses charging and the triumphal parp of trumpets, before we kick off properly with Dark Rider.

Dark Rider, features distorted guitars from David Ryan, galloping lead bass from band founder Joel McGee, who gives himself a solo before the six string widdling, but don't worry he gets to show off on Final Phase too. All the while the drums of Will Adkins has a measured power, which lends itself to the more epic and progressive arrangements Crimson Steel have here.

Influences such as Savage, Crimson Glory and Manowar can all be felt through these songs, the latter in the vocals of Tina Langevin who can shriek with the best of them as they tune into some Judas Priest on No Absolution, from the vocals right down to the dirty guitar sound it's pre-British Steel Priest for sure as there's definitely an old school ethos from Crimson Steel.

The instrumentals are all full of that classic metal power with a technically that may go overlooked by I really enjoyed. Vocally too McGee joins for Purifier while on the atmospheric Bleed Into One, James Rivera (Helstar/Vicious Rumors etc) duet with Tina for extra theatrics.

Crimson Steel, Show No Fear with album number two. Classic heavy metal that's a little bit cleverer than normal. 7/10