THE ABSENCE MAKES THE CROWN GROW FONDER

The Crown made three of the killerest Metal records of all time but also to their detriment are mired in confusing shit. OK, my first album was Crowned In Terror, their only outing without singer Johan Lindstrom. He returned for Terror's follow-up, Possessed 13, which confused the shit out of me, since his replacement on Terror was similarly named At The Gates frontman Tomas Lindberg. Even confusinger, for The Crown's next and final recording, the death 'n rollers remade the Lindberg album as Crowned Unholy (a combination of the original title and side A highlight "Drugged Unholy"). The Lindstrom-fronted Crown is threatening and scary, perfect for Possessed 13's frightfest vibe; with screaming banshee Lindberg out front for Terror, the result is even more volatile and (literally) thrashing. "Drugged Unholy" is a good example; Lindberg sounds totally out of control, flailing like a shirtless paint-huffing hesher on Cops. He's the leader of the super-zombies in Quarantine. 

In a parallel dimension, Lindberg and The Crown did more records instead of splitting acrimoniously and thereby setting the stage for Lindstrom's return (and an At The Gates reunion for Lindberg). Ew and Lindberg's nu-metal (The Great Deceiver) and death metal (Disfear) projects. So when it was announced in July that The Crown guys were reforming without Lindstrom (now fronting the superb One Man Army & The Undead Quartet), fans of Crowned In Terror like me began to hope for a second dose of Lindbergian Crown. But the new Crown band, called um Dobermann, has since enlisted Deathstars/Swordmaster singer Andreas Bergh, not Lindberg, so my dreams for Crowned In Terror II are crushed. Untilllll I heard about a totally unrelated thrash-death Metal quintet from Tampa FL called The Absence (above, Testament shirt BAM!) and their 2007 record Riders of the Plague on Metal Blade like The Crown oooh spooky. And we're full circle. Happy times people. METAL!