Album review : CROWNE – Operation Phoenix

Frontiers [elease date: 27.01.23]

Second album from Crowne, a high end assembly made up of members of H.E.A.T., Art Nation, Europe, The Poodles and Dynazty. Respectively, Jona Tee, Alexander Strandell, John Leven, Christial Lundqvist and Love Magnusson.

The debut didn’t quite live up to its billing, but this one does.

This is grab you by the lapels, get right in your face melodic rock. Macho, slick, streamlined, not much room for nuance, although there is a stab at sophistication here and there. Almost always involving Magnusson’s spectacular axework.

His tightly woven fretwork combines satisfyingly with Strandell’s emphatic, mannered vocals on the title track and especially on ‘Northern Lights’, giving both tracks the immediacy and impact we expect from today’s Melodic Rock.

It’s unclear just what the lyrical aim is of ‘In The Name Of The Fallen’, and you worry that the most unpolitical of genres is getting politicised. But it’s clear that the fist in the air triumphalism of ‘Champions’ could not be mistaken for anything other than stadium rock at its most vital.

Tee’s sturdy keyboard provides the melodic spine on several songs on the album, most notably on the pacy ‘Ready To Run’ and ‘Juliette’, adding a symphonic element to already weighty, bombastic arrangements.

All that said though, it doesn’t get any more powerful than the ‘The Last Of Us’. Magnusson and Leven share the heavy lifting, locking guitar and bass together in the creation of a huge piece of intensely delivered music. It’s a suitably apposite track to finish on, one that best represents a rapidly evolving rock band, only two albums in. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)