The Crown ’’Gone to Hell’’ (2024)

Buy here: For “Crown of Thorns,“ the dynamic, ground-breaking follow-up to 2021’s “Royal Destroyer,“ The Crown made distinctly different creative choices to ensure that the LP’s 10 songs would stand as a unique collection. “For me, Cobra Speed Venom and Royal Destroyer are like siblings,“ says guitarist Marko Tervonen. And while Royal Destroyer was termed a “a ridiculously catchy album,” The Crown wanted to “make sure that we would take a step forward, get a bit more out of the comfort zone on Crown of Thorns.“ Musical dynamics are also on a new level with the 2022 addition of drummer Mikael Norén and bassist Mattias Rasmussen, and the return of lead guitarist Marcus Sunesson, rejoining long time members Tervonen and vocalist Johan Lindstrand. “With Mikael we managed to bring back a bit more of that crazy ‘Janne Saarenpää’ feel to the drumming, so that was a really cool energy boost. Mattias comes more from a punk/crust background