THE CROWN - Possessed 13
October 7, 2003, 21 years ago
(Metal Blade)
That whole Tomas Lindberg thing was a figment, man, a coming together of cosmos and coincidence in a perfect way that very rarely happens. So, once you're over the fact that Tompa's workaholic nature made full-time marriage to The Crown impossible, you get to listen to The Crown in its pure, old school glory, capturing the massacres of yesteryear and Deathrace King. Speed has always been the band's calling card, and this time that immediacy is back in spades, shredding through boundaries everywhere. A funny thing happens along the way though, and that's the sideways re-writes known as 'Are You Morbid?' and 'Kill 'Em All', both of which pay homage to the original bands in question (borderline copyright infringement fully intact, but all done in good fun, mind you). Overall, the barn still burns: it's high time for The Crown to be handed 'Deth's "state of the art speed metal" title.
