Royal Destroyer

Album review

Since the seminal Hell Is Here in 1998, you might say plenty has happened in the career of The Crown. The expression “rollercoaster” takes on full weight here, since the Swedish gang was mainly active at the turn of the century, releasing no fewer than seven albums between 2000 and 2010. Royal Destroyer is the 11th studio release by the quintet, once again supercharged by their patented speedy, savage thrash/death. Like its predecessor Cobra Speed Venom (2018), it was recorded live in the studio – the right call, as The Crown is the archetypal group that understands the maxim less is more. Their stripped-down music races out like a krazy go-kart at top speed and adapts poorly to the kinds of overly detailed arrangements or fancy-shmancy writing provided by compatriots like Dark Tranquillity or Arch Enemy. The energy here is more like a bad fever contracted following too much exposure to punk and hardcore. The crushing Glorious Hades, martial and heavy as hell, allows the listener to take a deep breath before plunging back into full-on mode with Full Metal Justice and especially Scandinavian Satan, a swift, nasty tribute to gratuitous violence that will have you smiling – shades of the essential 1999 – Revolution 666, released by the group in 1998, when their average age was barely over 20. The weight of passing years seems to have had no impact on this crew and their aggression, as proven by the utterly adolescent lyrics of Johan Lindstrand (age 45), caricatures hewing to the belief held by certain death metal groups that violence trumps philosophy. (“I can smell your fear – Death race in hell – I await the flames – With love lightning fast – My poison adrenaline – Is feeding your fury now”, lyrics from Motordeath). All in all, there’s little possibility of confusing them with Vincent Delerm. That consistency is ultimately what makes The Crown so reassuring. Some things never change, and that’s fine. Royal Destroyer is a complete release, wonderfully regressive; a good solid listening session is the perfect replacement for a 45-minute session hammering the speed bag. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz