As word has it, the guys in the band were never satisfied with the final sound/mastering of “Crowned in Terror”. Why?? I thought it was a fucking killer piece of speed metal. Did it need to be re-recorded?? That’s for you to decide. Is it an ego trip, for Mr. Johan Lindstrand?? Because it's the only album he didn’t front with the band. Although he joined a vocal duel with Tomas Lindberg on the albums final track “Death Metal Holocaust”. So I guess that can’t be the reason to re-record the album. I’ve also heard that it was re-recorded because the label came to them asking for them to do it. The band apparently agreed to re-record the album, while in return the packaging for “Possessed 13” was to be that much better for the fans. At any rate it was done. New vocals recorded, new bass tracks added, and the drums were enhanced as a result of going back to the studio. Overall the album will still kick your skull in. The band had the chance to perform those songs live on tour, and realized what worked for each song, and added new ideas to make those tracks that much more in your face. It does sound like “Possessed 13” in it’s production. Thrashier, and more in your face death ‘n’ roll than speed metal. Certain songs sound different from the originals. “Under the Whip” has clean sung vocals in the middle, and “The Speed of Darkness” probably has the most noticeable change in sound to it. The intro to the song is different, while clean vocals in the chorus are present, almost sounding melodic. To end “Crowned Unholy” is the brooding “Death Metal Holocaust”. . . .. . And no Tomas Lindberg didn’t record duelling vocals with Johan this time around. It’s just Johan's grunts and growls you get to hear. Although in the liner notes they mentioned that they were going to get Cannibal Corpse's own George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher to guest along with Johan. He did not though.

To top this release off is a bonus DVD of the band playing in Karlsruhe Germany last year. Clocking in at over an hour, the band rips through 17 brutal death metal cuts focusing more on the later of the bands material. While being pretty cool concert footage, the camera shots are pretty much the same through out, which gets rather boring. Once you’ve seen a couple of songs performed, expect to have seen the entire show. Johan’s vocals are raspy, and he’s looking much like a younger Lemmy, but still the bands is full of sheer anger/energy. More shots of the crowd would have been welcomed.

One last thing, I had the chance to interview Tomas Lindberg recently for Tartarean Desire, and I asked him his thoughts about this re-recording of “Crowned in Terror”, he had this to say “I don’t really have any comments on this, I think they drove the last nail in their own coffin with that idea so to speak. I go by the rule, if you don’t have anything good to say about someone, then shut up....so I shut up...”

I recommend this album. If you already own “Crowned in Terror”, still get this and play them both at the same time, should be rather interesting!!

written by Chris Rohde

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