The nature of a civilization under caste naturally rests in spite of the deeds of their leadership, setting the tone of generations with heroic greatness suggested on the surface and craven monstrosity unveiled after the fact. A legacy of a brutal clenched fist will live just as deeply within the genetic memory of underlings as a hand washed of thriving peace might, as long as the tombs of great kings and tyrants rest in the same point of exile after death. Meditating upon what creates beast-like men and saviors when power arrives Los Angeles, California-based epic heavy/doom metal quintet Stygian Crown took a long, protracted process of growth and refinement in creation of their sophomore full-length album. Besotten with the most ancient panache of classic heavy rock and the traditional epic doom metal of the 80’s their crew continues to craft a fusion of instinctive extremism into tradition as ‘Funeral For a King‘ unfolds into an early year highlight for classicist doom metal musing. Balanced in its theatric presentation yet exactingly over the top, this heavier-than-thou yet charismatic record amounts to an impressive leap taken beyond the their already impressive debut.

What need is there for frail rediscovery per today’s desperate “new wave of…” dryness in our pithy present day? The old must of arcane heavy metal is not dead in the nostrils of a group such as these 2018-formed fellowes yet it comes by hands patient, weary enough to strike when and where it counts. When tasking themselves with a follow-up beyond their impressive debut LP (‘Stygian Crown‘, 2020) the world was yet turning slow. The suggestion made in the press materials herein is that ‘Funeral For a King‘ is the result of time, some of it cursed by an uncertain future lingering and all else a boon of freedom to double-check, reconsider, and refine every aspect of the release ’til it became a best considered result. This meant full collaboration from the band members as well as a multi-studio effort to make it all happen. At the very least we should not expect a quickly chucked together sophomore LP from Stygian Crown but instead an altogether primed and representative sense of sonic identity delivered.

Instrumental opener, title track and lead single “Funeral For a King” introduces the heft and heaviness with which Stygian Crown approach late 80’s epic doom metal, breaking right into the crawl and slithering movement of the riff as they build momentum. This would not be considered uncanny in terms of classic heavy metal (no matter the type) back in they day, wherein performance hadn’t yet been drained of its theater, revealing a bit of the deep roots into the past which feed this band’s sound. Distant chorale for effect and an almost death metal sized growl to their rhythm guitar sound introduce intrigue, tension and warm the ear before the strum of the bass and the gallop of “Bushido” thunders in, the dust clearing to present their first battlefield-set scene. Once again the band make good on this extreme metal heaviness applied to the auld patient heavy/doom metal of early Candlemass, using the sinister repetition one’d typically associate with either death/doom or the more melodic leads of mid-to-late 90’s Bolt Thrower. The speed they generate here is heroic, perhaps a step toward the thrashing side of ‘Ancient Dreams‘ and with Rhett Davis‘ (Gravehill, ex-Morgion) work on the kit presented in good parity with the bass and rhythm guitar tones, creating a cauldron (but not a cavernous) sense of storming movement as the song unravels its tension verse after verse.

The first few songs on the album do as intended, reintroduce the core capability and voice of the artist while presenting enough momentum to engage the epic heavy and epic doom metal mind with songs that read entirely classic in their inspiration but given their own bruising attack. “Scourge of the Seven Hills” is arguably where the lights point to vocalist Melissa Pinon, the church bells collapse off the tower and their exceptional grasp of the doom metal riff lumbers on. The grizzled yet adeptly vibrato spun vocals of Pinon read as wizened, serious yet even more detailed in cadence of this particular narrative piece thanks to some harmonized layers used to emphasize the start of a new phrase, or stanza. While I’d been impressed by the previous album this song convinces that the extra time spent on this album included some layers which help certain moments feel larger than life, thrilling to the longtime epic doom metal fan yearning for a charismatic vocalist of this caliber. Though her range is not stretched too broadly over the course of ‘Funeral For a King‘ I do feel like the vocalist’s performances do well to carry the weight of these ~45 minutes and lead moreso than their debut.

Enriched, voluminous production values allow for a sombre, bass-heavy doom metal album to surface over the course of the full listen giving just enough traction to the rhythm section to hold the ear but holding nothing back when a song calls for the riff. I would suggest that the biggest riffs and the most surprises are found at the midpoint of the full listen wherein the stomping heat of (my personal favorite) “The Bargain” leads into standout “Where the Candle Always Burns”, inserting some of Pinon‘s upper register as well as some light use of violin/strings for tension here and there. These two songs in succession should be the collective moment where they’ve convinced you to grab the record, as you won’t find me heralding many bands in this style for the virtues of their riffs and these are almost Rainbow-esque in their ride while holding fast to the 80’s doom metal meets darker, death-tuned double-bass drumming sensation unique to Stygian Crown.

If you are somehow not convinced and have yet to buy into the aforementioned theatre du heavy rock/epic metal herein then “Blood Red Eyes” might be the piece to set you over the edge, perhaps in either direction, as an eerie horror ballad featuring only Pinion‘s vocals and ominous accompaniment on piano and violin. No doubt a King Diamond-esque occult concept album is next on the list, eh? This is without question the most arresting point on the album and a glorious high point before what is essentially this proverbial third act incorporates even more of a riff-centered focus for the last two pieces. I’d only wished they’d been able to trade off more lead guitar solos earlier on the album though this ends up being a strong send-off.

Upon first listen there was no letting ‘Funeral For a King‘ skate by without a closer listen, insisting that it was much more than just another album to slot into the epic traditional doom metal vault. Its greatest success is a strong personality, mounting up with enough charisma to carry this style of music per its own biting edge and classics-minded vision. This is made possible by way of no weak links showing in terms of production and performance, each member of the band is present and not simply filling a chair. Album artwork from maestro Kris Verwimp here does a brilliant job of not only setting the scene, spread between one of the prettier gatefolds I’ve seen in a long while, but completing the high standard of curation of this release beyond the music itself. At least it feels like the sort of record you spread open so often to stare at the full scene that the spine crushes a bit, there is a poster included for those similarly inclined. If you are similarly lost in the wilds, out there seeking the first important doom metal release for 2024 I’d suggest Stygian Crown‘s latest is it. A high recommendation.

---