Review STYGIAN CROWN ‘Funeral for a King’

A band that premiered right at the beginning of the pandemic is Stygian Crown. The five-piece from Los Angeles, California delivered their self-titled studio album in June 2020 and what reached ears of metalheads was brilliantly made doom metal with a wow-effect.

Now, almost three years later, Stygian Crown returns with their sophomore longplayer called ‘Funeral for a King’.

Expectations were high when it comes to this anticipated new release from the guys and one thing I can say already at this stage. What the album delivers is even above expectations. Nine songs made it on this longplayer and each of them is a masterpiece when it comes to doom metal. There is nothing, one could do better than what ended up on this album.

‘Bushido’ was the first single that has seen the light of day already and it is the right track to increase the appetite for this record. A thundering beat and great riffing is what makes ‘Bushido’ to an excellent metal anthem. Not to forget in this context is the stellar voice of Melissa Pinion, giving the song and the album an emotional depth. She is more than solely singing. Pinion is celebrating each of the songs, storytelling instead of only singing words is what fans get.

The new album also contains two instrumentals, and it starts with the title track. ‘Funeral For a King’ is the majestic opener and sets the tone of voice for the album. Mighty riffs and great arcs of sound is what the title track offers while some headbanging moments are embedded too. The second instrumental is more of an interlude. ‘Let Thy Snares Be Planted’ is a cinematic instrumental that leads to the Faustian ‘The Bargain’.

The latter starts with a stunning riff and Pinion’s vocals, introducing a six-minute doom metal monster. Cleverly placed breaks add a great flow to the song that reminds me more than once of bands like Candlemass during ‘Ancient Dreams’-days. What sounds like a pretentious comparison reflects the reality. I think that ‘Funeral for a King’ has a similar importance for the doom metal scene as ‘Ancient Dreams’ did back then.

Regardless of where you drop the needle, what gets out of the speakers is phenomenal doom metal like the snail-paced ‘Scourge of the seven Hills’. Another exciting tune is called ‘Blood Red Eyes’. The song was originally planned as a full band composition but was scaled back and includes only vocals, piano and violins. Next to the greatness of the song, ‘Blood Red Eyes’ shows two things. Stygian Crown has an immense creativity when it comes to their songs, and they aren’t shy to leave the standard path. ‘Blood Red Eyes’ is a masterpiece because the tune is different and still fits perfectly into the context of this album. Thunder and ferocity return with the epic ‘Beauty and Terror’ before a Sabbathian riff heralds the end of this album. ‘Strait of Messina’ is the glorious closer of an album that is a delight for metalheads.

‘Funeral for a King’ is one of the best doom metal records in years and it is hard to imagine that 2024 will offer a better longplayer than what Stygian Crown deliver with their sophomore record.