Crown of Anguish is a death metal band from the north of the UK, known for blending brutal riffs with mystical themes and unexpected influences like Spanish guitar. In this interview, guitarist Matt Gornall discusses the band's origins, the creative process behind their debut album Stalker at the Midian Gate, and their vision for the future.
Serial Metalbums: Can you introduce Crown of Anguish to those who may not be familiar with your band? How did you all come together?
Matt: We are a Death metal band from the north of the UK . Myself and Dan have known each other for years and Ali joining on vocals was the final piece to the puzzle. We have an EP and an Album out on BrutalCave records.
Serial Metalbums: What inspired the name "Crown of Anguish," and what does it represent for you as a band?
Matt: It’s a play on the phrase “heavy lies the crown” and fits nicely with the themes running through the lyrics of ancient gods, kings and leaders.
Serial Metalbums: Can you share some of the influences that have shaped your sound and style? Are there any specific bands or genres that have played a significant role?
Matt: Of course we take a lot of influence from the death metal legends - it’s the language we all speak and it’s almost instinctual at this point. A lot of the influence for Crown of Anguish comes from non death metal bands and artists. Like the Spanish guitar thing we try and weave in with the heavy parts. I like guitars players like Al di Meola, Paco de Luca and Allan Holdsworth - and bands like Cynic that pushed the boundaries of what metal can be. Melding the death metal with other styles of music is what keeps me interested - let’s face it - death metal is constantly at risk of becoming stale. We should try not to put limits on what it can be. In Crown of Anguish we want to do something a bit different, while still keeping it brutal. I think most metal fans are really open minded and enjoy hearing different genres mixed with metal.
Serial Metalbums: Your debut album, "Stalker at the Midian Gate," has just been released. Can you tell us about the concept or themes behind the album? What inspired its creation?
Matt: Each song on this record is a parable or tale, be that folklore or through written text, or the story of a people handed down through oral tradition. Whispers of rituals and oaths, self mutilation, ritual sacrifice - that sort of thing! Ali is really into the lyrics side of things and really brings a lot to the concept of the album.
Serial Metalbums: How did the songwriting and recording process for this album differ from any previous work you’ve done, if at all?
Matt: It actually came together really quick as once we are in the mood the riffs really start flowing. The compositions take the longest, structuring all the parts and the added challenge of the loud/quiet dynamic we have going on. It’s not easy to mix nylon string guitar against crushing distorted riffs! Once all the music is done we fire it off to Ali in Scotland who tracks the vocals at Sonorous studios with Guillaume Martin - who always does a killer job. Big shout out to Guillaume for everything he has done for us. We have a bit of back and forth about what goes where until it sounds just right - usually vocals are the last thing to be added, maybe a few overdubs after. There is quite a lot of extra percussion we recorded this time, like congas and stuff. The EP was done a little quicker but not by much. I actually like to work on the overall mix quite early on in the recording process - as having it sounding good already inspires me to write more.
Serial Metalbums: The title "Stalker at the Midian Gate" is intriguing. Can you explain its significance and how it ties into the overall narrative of the album?
Matt: I think Ali could answer this better but I’ll give it a shot! The Midian gate appears several times across various ancient literatures, and in some cultures was seen as a sort of crossover point where the underworld meets the real world. The album art depicts someone trying to make this crossing laden with gold, but as we all know, you can’t take it with you! It’s these locations and tales that feature heavily in the lyrics.
Serial Metalbums: Are there any tracks on the album that hold special meaning for you or that you think will particularly resonate with your audience?
Matt: We released the single Radiant Moon of Aphos a few weeks before the record came out. We picked it for the lead cut because it kinda has everything we do in one track - a perfect encapsulation of our style. We had a good review of it recently where the guy said we had keyboards adding a nice layer on the arpeggio riff on that track - but it was actually just my nylon string mirroring the distorted riff. I like the idea of that, creating sounds where people might not be too sure what it is. My favourite 2 tracks off the album would be “Radiant Moon…” and “Vengeful Eye of the Magi” for just its pure epicness.
Serial Metalbums: What do you hope listeners take away from "Stalker at the Midian Gate"? Is there a message or feeling you want to convey?
Matt: That we know how to write brutal technical riffs? Haha! For me, as long as it’s not boring that’s all that matters to me. Just trying to do something a bit different with the instrumentation - I’m really inspired by weird stringed instruments from around the world, and bringing those sounds into the songs . On the next album I really want to go all in with the longer compositions and really change up the album format - we will see!
Serial Metalbums: Do you have any project for the future ?
Yes - we are writing our next record as we speak. Apart from that, just to get our music heard by as many metal heads as possible!
Thanks so much for the interview, check us out on Instagram and Bandcamp and YouTube. Stalker at the Midian Gate is out now on CD and digital - cheers!
Album Review: "Stalker at the Midian Gate" by Crown of Anguish
