Crown Of Thorn - Destiny Unknown | ||
Tracks:
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Album Cover: ![[Image]](../../cd_images/DestUnknFront.JPEG)
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Label: 2000 Voodoo Island Records/Point Music Producer: Jean Beauvoir Year: 2000 UK Distribution: Cargo Records Total Playing Time: 49:17 m:s Review date: 17/03/2000 |
| Web site: www.pointmusic.com , www.crownofthorns.com
Email: | ||
| Rating: 74% | ||
| Verdict: COT in experimental mood, sounding fresh, but not as immediate as on "Lost Cathedral". | ||
| With this album COT face the unenviable task of trying to follow up the mighty "Lost Cathedral". "Lost Cathedral" was a big rock album full of memorable tunes, especially "Live and Die" which was one of my favorite tunes from 1998. Instead of creating "Lost Cathedral 2", COT have adopted a different approach. COT have stripped bare their basic sound and incorporated some dance/rap ideas into the COT formula. The result is a fresh sound for the band at the start of the new millennium.
"Intro" is a healthy dose of amusing cynicism about entering the year 2000 which sets the tone for much of the lyrical content of the album. "Birds On The Wire" is an uptempo semi-acoustic rocker which is an excellent start to the album with it's big hooks and big chorus. The verses of "End Of The Century" have a dance style rhythm and 'rap' vocals. Fortunately these are held together by a another rockin' big chorus. On "Buried Alive" COT come over all Beastie Boys like. This is 'rap-metal with attitude' and has a discordant element running throughout. The band take a more traditional route on "Missionary Remedy". It has got a driving backbeat propelling it along, giving the song a 'ZZ Top techno' feel. "Here She Comes" is taken from the soundtrack to a film called "The Guilty". It is a pop style ballad that Savage Garden or Roxette would be proud of. The Bon Jovi overtones of the mid-tempo rocker "Lonely Is The Rose" heralds more familiar ground for COT. The hip-hop drums at the start and semi-spoken vocals of "Crying Game" take the listener into a more experimental arena. Not so "Heaven Tonight". It features the big hooks and memorable choruses that fans of "Lost Cathedral" may well be wondering about. On the slow track "Time" that ZZ Top feel crops up again. This track and the following "Long Way Home" exist, but go anywhere in particular. The album fades out with a ballad called "Runaway". I've been listening to this quite a bit and to be honest when I added up the score when writing this review I was a bit shocked that it wasn't higher. Taken on an individual basis (as I tend to do when scoring an album) some the more experimental tracks didn't cut it for me. However, I'd still describe the whole album as 'good'. I'm happy that COT aren't playing it safe and simply churning out "Lost Cathedral 2". A worthy addition to the collection of any COT fan, but I'd recommend everyone else should get "Lost Cathedral" first, before checking out this one. | ||
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