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Century Of Decay
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Century Of Decay |
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| Headless Crown are a heavy metal band from Switzerland formed in 2011 by guitarist Manu Froelicher and singer Steff Perrone. The bands line-up was complete by 2014, with their debut album 'Time For Revolution' released in 2015. The bands second album 'Century Of Decay' was released in 2018 and is a science fiction/fantasy style concept album. | ||||||
| The bands new album gets underway in bombastically raucous style with the title song 'Century Of Decay', the delivery bearing a mild resemblance to the style and sound of 'The American Way' era Sacred Reich... Guitars buzz and rhythms thunder as 'Century Of Decay' (the song) strides on, the album picking up intensity as 'Radiant In Grey' launches forth with an almighty NWOBHM inspired guitar sound. 'Radiant In Grey' is full to the brim with traditional heavy metal traits and is a high tempo romp of head banging infectiousness. Bringing a more blunt and progressive feel to the album, 'The Blackness' is all bluff and bluster as it plods on. Headless Crown manage to inject catchiness into every song they produce, whether it's through the verse or chorus break, giving the listener an enjoyable listening experience. Shredding guitars burn life into 'Grinder Of Souls', the heaviest offering so far, as the Swiss metallers continue their heavy metal assault. Four songs in and 'Century Of Decay' (the album) is simply getting better and better, with a full running time of fifty five minutes, eleven songs on offer. | ||||||
| Delivering a meaner and much more menacing vibe, 'Listen' is a mid tempo thud of epic proportions. Striding the border between the epic and glory genres, 'Listen' is a slice of tip top anthemic heavy metal. 'Plan 9' brings back the progressive feel, and sees the band stretch their musical direction beyond the norm. Experimentation strikes fear into some bands, the fear of "what if we lose fans", well, you know what, stop thinking negative and experiment, you may just gain fans. A band willing to experiment with their sound is a "looks forward" kind of band and one that doesn't rely on past glories to keep their fan base. Headless Crown show no fear with this album, with 'Outermind Travel' a winding, warbling and wandering meander of everything from progressive to ballad to rock to metal, with a touch of thrash thrown in. To say this album has a varied listening experience may be the proverbial understatement, but it's true, I haven't a clue which musical direction Headless Crown is gonna take me next. | ||||||
| Picking up speed and setting an electrifying pace, 'The End' firmly plants its feet in the speed and power metal genres. Highly energetic and catchy, 'The End' is European style power metal, played at a blistering pace. Keeping this style going, 'The Eyes Of The Crow' is heavier, yet just as power metal infused as 'The End'. Thundering on, 'The Eyes Of The Crow' is one of the heaviest songs on offer, yet also one of the most catchy and sing a long-able. And just when you thought you have a bands musical direction all figured out, along comes another twist... 'The Manipulators Of Dreams' is heavy rock with a dash of progressive and a drop of alternative. An intriguing and bold move, and one that actually works very well. So, after fifty, unquavering attentive minutes, 'Century Of Decay' (the album) comes to a close with the traditional and classic heavy metal sounding 'Degree Absolute'. Full of heaviness and blistering guitars, 'Degree Absolute' is a cracking end to a varied and pleasurable aural avalanche. | ||||||
| Overall, an album of varying musical styles ranging from heavy metal to progressive to hard rock, Headless Crown deliver an intriguing listening experience. | ||||||
| Review by Iron Mathew Collins | ||||||
| Reviewed for Metal Gods TV | ||||||
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