### Crown The Lost: Blind faith loyalty

#### 25/08/09 || HailandKill

Crown The Lost have long fancied themselves in the same league as your favorite Warbringer and Evile, even peddling t-shirts that read “Crown The Lost: Thrash Metal Killing Machine.” Yet they never seemed to realize how far they’ve been deluded becoz, holy mutha, has there ever been a more mis-categorized band than these five Pittsburgh natives? This ain’t thrash, you penises. Why? First, how the fuck can the Bruce Dickinson-esque vocal godliness of their singer Chris Renaldi be deemed fit for thrash? Second, when did In Flames rhythms and Into Eternity arrangements become connected to the Bay Area magic of the 80’s?

Confused? So is this second album from a bunch of solid musicians who’re sitting on something new, but haven’t refined their sound yet, thereby creating 10 songs that pack enough action to impress, but are utterly forgettable. It’s really sad considering the chops on display here. Take the opener “Defame The Hypocrites”, which brings such diverse elements as Joe Bonnadio’s guitar shredsomeness, Kevin Antonacci’s precise drum work, plus the mighty Renaldi’s soaring pipes. Know what? It just occurred to HailandKill this band is full of Italians. Does this help matters? Fuck no. HailandKill can’t hammer this home enough: the songs here ain’t very memorable.

Anyway, here are the rest of the tunes found inside “Blind Faith Loyalty”; snapping at the heels of the powerful opener is the progressive yearning that puts so much emotional syrup and King Diamond shrieks into “Drawing The Parallel.” Crown The Lost also do their own contrasting harsh and epic vocals on a coupla tracks, as if they just pioneered the method (Scar Symmetry anyone?). It sounds like shit, to say the least. These melodic pseudo-thrashers then go the breakdowns n’ melody route for “Bound To Wrath”, “Symbiotic”, and “Dreaming In Reverse.” Glimmers of Communic, All That Remains, Mercenary, and Dreamtheatre plague “Impose Your Will” and “Hollow Refuge” while the band’s love for numbing musicianship climaxes on the closing title track.

The material at hand proves a stinkin’ fine sophomore album from a group bursting with unrealized potential. That sentence didn’t make much sense and neither does “Blind Faith Loyalty”. But take note, Crown The Lost may still cross the divide separating bands-on-the-verge–of–awesomeness and the truly awesome. When they do, these Italian Stallions are gonna be Global Domination’s new darlings. If this doesn’t happen by album three on 2010, however, then they’ve still got a long, long way to go.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Cruz del Sur
- Website: www.crownthelost.com
- Band
- Chris Renaldi: vocals
- David E. Gehlke: guitars
- Joe Bonnadio: guitars/harsh vocals
- Shaun Gunter : bass
- Kevin Antonacci: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Defame the hypocrites
- 02. Drawing the parallel
- 03. Bound to wrath
- 04. Symbiotic
- 05. Finality
- 06. Dreaming in reverse
- 07. Privation
- 08. Impose your will
- 09. Hollow refuge