Kingcrow: Eidos

Serious-minded Italians rock out with style.

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Part three of a prog metal trilogy scrutinising the big questions of mortal existence, Kingcrow’s sixth album focuses on life’s choices, regret and disillusionment.

On paper it doesn’t read like a laugh a minute, but the music is superbly played, the band swinging powerfully and easily from angular, brutal riffage to mellow passages of ethereal beauty.

The only missteps are the occasional lapses into flamenco-style guitar and hand-clapping. These aberrations aside, Open Sky and The Deeper Divide are where it all comes together most satisfyingly, both tracks sounding suitably vast, cinematic and compelling.

For sheer atmosphere and bold imagination, Eidos is something of a major proggy triumph./o:p

Essi Berelian

Whether it’s magazines, books or online, Essi has been writing about rock ’n’ metal for around thirty years. He has been reviews editor for Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, rock reviews editor for lads mag Front and worked for Kerrang!. He has also written the Rough Guide to Heavy Metal and contributed to the Rough Guide to Rock and Rough Guide Book of Playlists, and the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (13th edition). Most fun interview? Tenacious D – Jack Black and Kyle Gass – for The Pick of Destiny movie book. An avid record/CD/tape collector, he’s amassed more music than he could ever possibly listen to, which annoys his wife no end.