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Over the years there have been a handful of newer bands that have really nailed the sound and aesthetic of influential hard rock and prog from decades past. Greta Van Fleet and their take on the Led Zeppelin sound has certainly been one of the more prominent examples, but Canadian duo Crown Lands has also been gaining a lot of exposure over the last five years. Where their earlier material also explored some Zeppelin territory, by 2023’s Fearless the band had pivoted to something much closer to their home country heroes Rush. Despite the familiarity of the sound and structure, there was something about Fearless that made it compelling and felt like it was channeling Rush for a new generation. After some dips into ambient and instrumental arrangements on the two Rituals EP’s, Crown Lands has returned with Apocalypse which shakes things up a bit further. Offering just as much of a focus on catchier hooks and choruses alongside sprawling progressive epics, it’s clear the duo has tried to branch out naturally.
Don’t get me wrong, there is still quite a bit of the Rush DNA present throughout Apocalypse, particularly on the nineteen-minute title track where the band once again flexes their flair for the progressive. But that song doesn’t appear until the very end of the album, and the ones that come before it opt for more direct hooks while keeping a bombastic flair. After the synth and vocal lead intro track “Proclamation”, “Foot Soldiers of the Syndicate” comes in with a driving guitar lead that has a lot more weight behind it with soaring melodies layered over top. There’s a noticeable pivot back to a bit more traditional hard rock, but you do get some shifts towards the end into some more prog sounding melodies and solos that showcase Crown Lands hasn’t fully streamlined their sound. As you make your way through the other tracks that lead up to “Apocalypse” the band offers a good deal of variety, with some Led Zeppelin sounding melodies on “Through the Looking Glass” and some glimpses of metallic tonality on some of the other tracks. “The Fall” has this proto-metal and NWOBHM gallop at certain points alongside some AOR melodies, while “Blackstar” gives off hints of Thin Lizzy. Admittedly the pacing suffers a bit during the transition from “The Revenants” to “Apocalypse”, as the former is an acoustic track that feels like it should end the album rather than lead into the lengthier epic. Once you get to “Apocalypse” there are a ton of ideas to take in and I like the way that the more complex ideas are fused with some of the hooks from the earlier tracks.
Cody Bowles’ singing has been an element that may make Crown Lands’ material click with some listeners and cause others to bounce off it, as there are some similarities in the way his voice soars into much shriller ranges to that of Rush’s Geddy Lee. Early on the approach feels like it’s trying to capture some of that operatic and bombastic flair that defined a lot of rock from the 70s and 80s and this is done well for the most part. I’m personally a fan of the approach on “Through the Looking Glass”, where the singing seems to soar higher and higher in ways that naturally complement the moodier and subdued textures of the instrumentals, though there are a few moments where the sheer energy level overpowers everything else. This isn’t anything that derails the experience, but it does feel like Crown Lands still has room to fine tune the balance between everything. One other thing that’s worth noting is the cadence and pitch on “The Fall” gives off hints of Michael Jackson, which works surprisingly well within Crown Lands’ sound.
Where Fearless pulled very closely to the Rush template, Apocalypse comes through like a fusion of the band’s earlier Led Zeppelin and adjacent hard rock with some of the Rush elements still there. The shorter tracks pull in additional elements from the rock space and sometimes are focused on more compact hook driven structures, while the title track keeps all the adventurous prog you’d expect. Admittedly despite the increased scope and push out towards even more rock influences this one didn’t click quite as much as its predecessor, as there are some pacing issues and sometimes the vocals overpowered some of the details. Yet there’s still a lot here that makes album number three from Crown Lands worth checking out, as when everything comes together it has that catchy yet complex feel that is harder to find these days. Apocalypse is available from InsideOut Music.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg