Crown Lands: Fearless

I am usually diametrically opposed to bands mining one particular source of inspiration to the extent that homage can often tip very close to parody, and yet, sometimes you just have to simply admit when a band are good. In the case of Crown Lands, very good indeed. If you’ve stumbled across anything this outfit have to say for themselves, doubtless you’ve immediately thought ‘crikey-jingo-malingo, that’s sounds like Rush!’ and you’d be right. Very right indeed. This, however, is no power trio, oh no, Crown Lands consisting of only singer/drummer Cody Bowles (a half-Mi’kmaq who identifies as Two Spirit) and guitarist/keyboardist Kevin Comeau - and again, I don’t usually find myself relating well to two-piece acts, the obvious holes in their often ramshackle sounds leaving me wondering why they don’t just go employ a bassist. Here the duo work magnificently, very magnificently indeed.

With confidence at a high from recent releases truly beginning to gain traction and notice, the band’s second full length studio album (numerous EPs and a live album have also appeared) opens with the 18-minute-plus “Starlifter�, a song that evokes the imagery its title suggests through a classic era, but sonically updated, Rush sound that make you wonder if this album shouldn’t maybe have been delivered in the year 2112. To be fair, the vocals aren’t pure Geddy Lee, but if you can imagine Bowles as the son of Geddy and Ozzy Osbourne, and who was maybe visited more than once by Uncle Robert Plant, then you’ll know what he sounds like. A sometimes shrill but always clear, confident tone stretching out imperiously above involving riffs, clever musical interplay and an approach that’s grand in scope and execution.

As always with an album that appears to offer its defining moment right up front, the worry is that from there the unravelling will begin. Hence, placing the ultra-catchy, ultra instant “Dreamer Of The Dawn� next in line proves to be a masterstroke, this singalong genuinely one of the most uplifting things I’ve heard all year as you swear Neil Peart’s toms are rattling along beneath some incredible six and four string guitar work. Comeau plays a double neck with guitar and bass both involved - although I doubt even he can do both at once…?

Incredibly, from there the standard refuses to slip or slide, “Context� a bold and brash clash of mini crescendos and explosions that sits atop fret tumbles and surging vocals, whereas “Lady Of The Lake� illustrates that this well observed retro fare can somehow combine an Ozzy-ness to some Zeppelin observations and come up with something that Alan Parsons Project might just have called their own. Bonkers but brilliant. Add in the rather beautiful acoustic “Penny� and, amongst others, the pensive Beatles howl of “Citadel� and it has to be said that Fearless is nothing short of breathtaking, very breathtaking indeed.

Track Listing
1. Starlifter
2. Dreamer Of The Dawn
3. The Shadow
4. Right Way Back
5. Context
6. Reflections
7. Penny
8. Lady Of The Lake
9. Citadel

Added: March 31st 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Crown Lands online
Hits: 2747
Language: english

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