About Me
Welcome to the ULTIMATE Tribute page of THE CROWN!
Formerly Known As: Crown Of Thorns (1990-1997) The band was originally formed back in 1990 as a primitive garage act. And it was first in 1992 that they made their first public appearance on a local compilation CD. In 1993 the band records the now infamous 'FOREVER HEAVEN GONE' demo with its dark & brutal sound. Shortly hereafter original guitarist Robert sterberg left the band and got replaced by Marcus Sunesson, just before the recording of the second Demo 'FORGET THE LIGHT'. Now the band had grown into better songwriters and musicians and the result was a very brutal, intense and evil Death Metal but with a lot more feeling and melody to it, some zines wrote that it was the perfect mix between the American and the Scandinavian sound
This led to a deal with the new Swedish Metal label 'Black Sun Records'. The debut CD 'THE BURNING' featured songs from both the demos alongside some new material and was praised as being one of the strongest and most brutal albums of 1995. A video was shot for the track 'Of Good and Evil' and the band also featured on the 'Slaytanic Slaughter' tribute album to SLAYER with their version of 'Mandatory Suicide'. In 1996 the band once again entered the studio to record their second album entitled 'ETERNAL DEATH' which shows an even more focused and breathtaking sound. It also features a mindblowing version of their 1991 garage cult-classic 'Kill (The Priest)'. A video was made for the song 'Angels Die'. In July 1997 the band is forced to cut their name short into just THE CROWN, due to pressures made by a Christian glam-pop outfit also called CROWN OF THORNS. Another song, 'The Poison', was recorded for a compilation album from Wicked World Records, and a blasting cover of the Sepultura hymn 'Arise' appeared on the 'Sepultural Feast' tribute album. In January / February of 1998 THE CROWN hit the road and raised some serious hell; after having seen a show on this European tour a member of the Metal Blade Records-team was very impressed. And after some conspiracy the deal was done between the hellish band and the legendary metal label. After a busy summer playing festivals plus extremly hard extensive rehearsing and writing of new material THE CROWN was ready for the third album: 'HELL IS HERE'.
To celebrate and promote this musical hell on earth THE CROWN was proud to participate on the NO MERCY TOUR part III. The tour including Wacken Open Air was a huge success with thousands and thousands of people witnessing and getting off to the sheer power of THE CROWN on stage.
The 4th album entitled 'DEATHRACE KING' was recorded during winter '99 in the new-built Studio Fredman. The result is a top-notch superfat and modern production to really push the music like a bullet through your soul. The recording session also featured guest vocal performances from Tomas Lindberg (ex AT THE GATES) and Mika Luttinen (IMPALED NAZARENE), to really kick it in. In early 2001 singer Johan Lindstrand decides to leave after 11 years down the line and Tomas Lindberg is recruited as the new singer.
After destroying some summer festivals in 2001 their 5th album CROWNED IN TERROR is recorded, to be released on the 8th of April, 2002. The album is praised in the media and among other things makes the cover of Metal Maniacs magazine. The band does a full-on blasting headline US tour in the beginning of 2002 together with the road-warrior dudes of DARKEST HOUR. Back in Sweden again, after a show in Stockholm Tomas is kicked out of the band. When told about it he said he wanted to leave anyway. So it was kind of a mutual decision to end the musical cooperation there. Because there were still some festivals booked for the summer, original vocalist Johan comes up and says he can do it as a favour for the band. So there wont be any cancallations because of the line-up trouble that he started,. Those shows went very good, so one hazy night at the bar Marko asks Johan if he wants to be a full-time member again, and the answer is yes. So THE CROWN is back in the original line-up in the fall of 2002.
While rehearsing new matrial, smaller tours are done in Finland and Italy and a full two-week headlining tour is done all over Europe. And in May 2003 the new album is recorded at Studio Fredman. As it marks the 13th anniversary of the band and contains 13 songs, the album is appropriately titled POSSESSED 13. On this album THE CROWN sum up all that they are about in one great album. It is a total tribute to all that they have done, filled with brand new riffs next to specially selected and finely matured 13 year old riffs ripped up from the unreleased past and awoken in new deadly fashion. The power is striking. Classic catchy old-school riffs in a whole fresh new way of sound and songmaking.
The artwork is also killer, made by Locust Constructions, the people responsible for the infamous Crenom design. It is a total hammer horror concept; white, black and bloodstained! There will also be a black limited edition deluxe version with a bonus disc including 13 previously unreleased demo tracks (where you can hear some of the POSSESSED 13 riffs in their original form). The album was firstly announced to some specially invited journalists who got to hear the album on a boat-trip through Trollhttan. And a small teaser was also performed at the 2003 Wacken Open Air before ten-thousands of dirty metalheads. POSSESSED 13 will be unleashed on the 20th October 2003. So lock up your daughters, pray to god, and send more cops THE CROWN has arrived!!!!!
On the 7th of March 2004, Janne Saarenp announces through the band's website: "We give up. Today, the 7th of March 2004, we, the dudes of THE CROWN, have decided to call it quits." So after 14 years and 6 albums The Crown's career ends. As a goodbye present the band re-recorded the album Crowned In Terror with Johan and titled it "CROWNED UNHOLY". It was relesed later in 2004 and it had a much better sound and a great new cover art.
Finally in 2005 Metal Blade Records relesed "14 YEARS OF NO TOMORROW", a triple DVD set all about the band.
