Label: Kvlt und Kaos Productions
Genre: Death Metal
Length: 47:15
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The English death metal band Crown of Anguish returned this year with a new album. Entitled Giants of the Twisting Sun, it offers fans of the genre a sound experience that is both brutal and epic. The band released their first EP, Crown of Anguish, in 2023, followed in 2024 by their debut album, Stalker at the Midian Gate, the album through which I first discovered them.
Last year, I had the opportunity to interview the band's guitarist, Matt Gornall : INTERVIEW - Matt Gornall Talks About Crown of Anguish's Death Metal Sound
Giants of the Twisting Sun was released last July via the Austrian label Kvlt und Kaos Productions, in digital and CD formats. The album features seven tracks with a total running time of 47:15. Unlike previous releases, Giants of the Twisting Sun is a full-on assault of death metal with long tracks that incorporate acoustic passages and epic sounds and atmospheres. The guitars surge forward at a fast and incisive pace, backed by relentless drums. The whole is enriched with epic melodies and atmospheres, supported by massive guttural vocals, a trademark of the genre. The musical structure is dense and nuanced, navigating between pure violence and moments of serenity through acoustic guitar. The production, meanwhile, remains raw while maintaining excellent clarity.
From the very first track, The Book Of Phanin, there is a sense of masterful balance with smooth rhythmic transitions, notably a flamenco-inspired acoustic guitar passage that shifts into the fury of death metal. At 3:39, a guitar solo enriches the track with striking melodic lines. On Kingdom Bejeweled (my favourite track on the album) the heavy atmosphere is enhanced by a masterful solo at 2:44, followed by an acoustic break at 4:46 that gradually leads to a rhythmic acceleration. The sounds at 5:57 clearly evoke the shadow of bands like Nile. Forbidden Ophiolatry of the Demilune hits hard from the opening thanks to a furious and inexhaustible vocal performance. I particularly enjoyed the high-pitched scream at 3:48, as well as the section starting at 6:30, which immediately reminded me of Blood Incantation.
Great Devourer, the Writhing King starts with a catchy line and a heavy atmosphere before transforming into a faster wave, while retaining that oppressive veil. At 3:39, an intense solo precedes a superb acoustic passage at 3:45. Solomnos: Book of Dreams provides a moment of respite with an acoustic instrumental track. Descendant by the Blood of the Subterrealm returns to a more direct death metal approach, marked by an incisive solo at 1:40 and a percussive drum beat at the same time. Finally, Septad Immaculos (Apocryphal) serves as a sonic testament, alternating vocal nuances and unpredictable structures. At 5:30, the atmosphere becomes epic, supported by spaced-out beats and brief melodic lines, before shifting into a brutal finale. At 7:47, acoustic guitars subtly slip into the soundscape.
With Giants of the Twisting Sun, Crown of Anguish delivers dense and immersive death metal, blending brutality, epic atmospheres and finely integrated acoustic passages. The richness of the structures, the fluid transitions and the alternation between extreme intensity and suspended moments demonstrate complex composition. If you like this genre of death metal you will appreciate the album.