It seems noIt seems nothing can halt modern Canadian progressive rock duo Crown Lands, not even the Apocalypse… but then that’s the title of their forthcoming album set for release on 15th May via InsideOutMusic.
After completing their Rituals project in their home studio, the band gained the confidence to take near-total control of the production process. Guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Kevin Comeau explained, “That record gave us the confidence to realise we could make a Crown Lands album in our own space, without a major-label budget or a big, fancy studio.”
That confidence carried directly into Apocalypse, with much of the album written and recorded in the same room the band has worked in since 2020, the difference being at crucial moments Crown Lands selectively collaborated with producers Nick Raskulinecz and David Bottrill.
The end result is being described as their most demanding and fully realised work to date, with the album’s title track sent out into the world as a 19 minute long single, performed live with a special session video directed by Luke Paron and an expanded lineup featuring additional players.
“When we wrote and recorded ‘Apocalypse’ we knew our studio ambitions finally pushed us away from being able to pull everything off live as a duo,” admitted Comeau. “I produced a record last year for an incredible band from Hamilton, Ontario called The Dreamland Band. Daniel Walton is an incredible guitarist, bassist and vocalist. Adam Inrig is a ridiculously talented drummer and keyboardist. They are both jazz-school grads and can play our material better than we can. When the conversation came up for additional members for the stage, I knew Dan and Adam were more than up to the task.”
Cody Bowles added: “As the vision for the live rendition of ‘Apocalypse’ came together, we knew we wanted to deliver something over-the-top. I thought it would be so cool to embody Blackstar and bring the character to life, developing this concept of the performance as a battle between Blackstar and the Ebonflight.”
Crown Lands now follow that with ‘Through The Looking Glass’, their second single from the parent album, alongside another video from Luke Paron.
“‘Through The Looking Glass’ features rolling 12-string arpeggios, Mellotrons, and a 7/8 bridge featuring Moog leads, full proggy fun while also serving up a big chorus. I love this one,” Comeau declared. “We wanted this song to show the might of the Dragon-Riders before the arrival of the Syndicate on Fearless’ planet. Is there anything cooler than heavy rock ballads about dragons? I think not.”
Bowles added: “This song is one of my favourites we’ve written off this new record. It was a song that came together with our good friend Nick Raskulinecz at his studio in Nashville. We had such a blast writing and recording the whole thing from start to finish and hope y’all enjoy the journey through Karagon’s past!”
Tracks featured on Apocalypse are: ‘Proclamation I’, ‘Foot Soldiers of the Syndicate’, ‘Through the Looking Glass’, ‘Blackstar’, ‘The Fall’, ‘The Revenants’ and ‘Apocalypse’. It is available in a number of formats from here.
