Review
Crown Lands have inverted the structural architecture of their previous work, hoarding their most sprawling ambitions for the absolute end of Apocalypse. Set a century before 2023’s Fearless, the duo’s latest chapter solidifies a sci-fi mythology while doubling down on pure 1970s progressive rock worship. Critics are sharply divided on this retro-futurist pivot, splitting between outright awe and sheer exhaustion regarding the record’s towering 19-minute finale.
While critics readily highlight the band's technical bravado, some find the conceptual execution tedious. Prog Report praises the release as "a magnificent Prog epic of definitive standard," casting the Canadian duo as rightful heavy-rock vanguards. Conversely, Your Last Rites delivers a harsher critique of the bloated format, arguing the title track's standout features "are its length and inability to justify it."
Sonically, the album balances theatrical bombast with tense restraint. Compositions build from drifting Ney flutes and "celestial synths" into "compact and bluesy" riffs anchored by a menacing low-end chug. Channeling the sprawling dynamics of peak Rush, the record's mood remains steeped in dystopian anxiety, driven by cavernous basslines and sudden, muscular instrumental surges.
