Kingscrow started as long ago as 1996, and this is their fifth studio album although it is the first one I’ve come across. They are an Italian band and looking at who they have been playing with, and the festivals they have been part of, it seems that they have historically been coming at their music from a metallic perspective. If that is indeed the case, then they have changed tack quite a way and are now much more in the Porcupine Tree/Riverside area with a more atmospheric feel to the music. In fact, they use emotion so much that it can almost be thought of as an instrument in its’ own right and it particularly works well with the more acoustic elements. But, I do believe that here is a band that musically is in a state of flux and they aren’t quite sure what they want to be, which can then be confusing for the listener as well.
There are some songs where they approach it much more from a prog metal perspective, but then mute the guitars and restrict their impact. It is almost as if at times that they want to be Opeth, but are afraid to let loose and really go for it, which in itself is at odds with the more atmospheric and acoustic pieces which almost sound as if they don’t belong on the same album. Their last, ‘Phlegethon’, seemed to gain almost universal praise but I’m not sure that the same will happen this time. If there were more songs like “The Drowning Line”, where there is the impression of a prog metal band trying to get out, then this album would be a much stronger proposition. But, they need to decide what musical approach they are going to follow as although there are some fine songs and performances on here it is too disjointed to be get anything more than 3*’s.
