When I first heard the news that Johan Lindstrand left The Crown shortly after the release of Deathrace King, my reaction was something similar to this: (in girlish shriek) "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" In my eyes, Deathrace King was by far one of the best releases of 2000, and one of the best death-thrash releases in a very long time. No other album in recent memory had caught my attention and gripped it quite like that album, the music was fast, furious and so goddamn good. What took it to another level was the energy of then vocalist Johan Lindstrand. When he left the group, a huge part of the band’s essence went with it. The album the band recorded in 2002 with Tomas Lindberg, of At The Gates fame, Crowned In Terror, just lacked the heart brought by his predecessor and he was quickly released. In late 2002 it was announced that, after a year and a half away from the band, Johan Lindstrand was returning to The Crown. My immediate reaction to this news was: (girlish shriek) "YESSSSSS!!!!!!" However, after the less-than-stellar Crowned In Terror, I quickly began to wonder if The Crown could recover and return to the sound that made Deathrace King a regular play in my discman over the past 3+ years. Two minutes into listening to their newest full-length effort, Possessed 13, all of my fears were quickly laid to rest. 50 minutes after pressing play, the album was done and I was completely blown away. Not only have The Crown matched their 2000 classic, but they’ve exceeded it, far exceeded it, taking their unique death-thrash style to an entirely new level. The difference between Crowned In Terror and Possessed 13 is remarkable, it’s like two entirely different bands. The presence of Lindstrand alone morphs the band from an average band to a supergroup, and the energy of the band is amplified tenfold with his mere presence. From heartfelt melodies like "Dream Bloody Hell" to balls-to-the-walls thrashers like "Are You Morbid?", The Crown bring the goods and more than make up for their previous failures. Possessed 13 is one of those rare albums you want to listen to over and over, from beginning to end without skipping a single track. Since purchasing this album in December, it’s safe to say I’ve played it at least 100 times, and it’s nowhere near becoming tiresome. The Crown don’t wear you don’t playing the same pattern song after song, they change it up taking you through a rollercoaster of emotions creating what is, without a doubt, one of the finest albums of the new millennium. As an added bonus, the first pressing of the album includes a bonus disc featuring rare demo, compilation and unreleased tracks. The earlier demo material is very rough sounding and is pure early 90s Swedish death metal. It’s really interesting to listen to and find where a lot of the riffs in their songs today originated, as a lot of it comes directly from the demos. The Crown have been going strong for 13 years, and unlike their fellow countrymen In Flames, Entombed, Hypocrisy, Meshuggah and Arch Enemy, they haven’t gone soft and tried to gain commercial acceptance, they’re still shredding faster and harder than ever. Keep on the lookout for the re-release of Crowned In Terror in 2004 with all new vocal tracks by Johan Lindstrand and see how The Crown would have sounded in 2002 if he’d never left, I very much doubt anyone will be left disappointed this time around.

Written By: Teufel