The Void - Crown of Madness (EP)

Bands trying to mix up elements of different genres together is now something new. While this kind of artistry require efforts in every form, most bands do faulter while pulling this off. Vancouver based band Crown of Madness, started in the midst of the pandemic with the intention to combine beauty with the dark and dissonance sound of death metal. The band has geared up to drop their debut EP “The Void”, and I am glad to get the opportunity to discuss about it.

The opening track “Pale” begins with a melancholic keyboard intro by Claine Lamb before bleeding into the obscure mixture of dissonance riffs of guitarist Sunshine Schneider. With a sludgy vibe to itself, the song paints a cold atmosphere around itself, prevalent throughout the album. “Eternal Feeding” picks up where its predecessor left, carrying forward with with catchy technical riffs with dissonance elements added. The vocals of Schneider, with the low gutturals really shine throughout the track. Also the feminine texture adds uniqueness to the band itself!

“The Manipulated” showcases an intense action of blasting drums by Connor Gordon and dissonance,obscure riffs. The guitar layerings add a sense of emotional distance and isolation, aided by the vocal melodies. It's hard to express how I feel about “Anguish” - it has an upbeat rhythm to it, while having a discomforting weirdness with its melodies. With a lot of abstract note choices, the track features many moments of dynamic changes. Featuring Kaija Krimson on vocals, her vocals lend some powerful highs on the track as well. The ending track “False God’s Hymn” combines all the facets of the band’s musicality together. A bit less dissonance-y with catchy riffs and blasting drums below, even the bass provides some great melodies.

The record paints a cold and grim atmosphere around itself, with the song titles and lyrics talking reflecting upon destruction of one’s self or one’s homeland of mother Earth. The band’s music knows how to contrast its elements, sometimes building upon the rapid drums and dissonance melodies, while later slows itself with keyboard melodies to reflect upon one's degraded self. In my opinion, where “obscure, eerie, cold, disturbing” are few terms I’ve excessively used, their music does stand up to that regard as one of the finest, and “The Void” being one of the best additions to their discography which fans will look upon in the future.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Website: https://www.facebook.com/crownofmadnessmetal

Genre: Dissonance Death Metal

Worldwide Release: March 25th, 2022.