Fearless

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Citadel" (5:52) plaintive piano play opens this song--reminding me of the genius that was Freddie Mercury when Cody enters to sing. The vibe of the 70s is strong within ‘Dreamer Of The Dawn’, a track that rips along at a lovely pace, led by the drumming of Bowles, accompanied by waves of synths, spritely guitar playing, and a killer chorus that gets immediately lodged in your head. Crown Lands came into my consciousness by way of a recommendation, and since the first listen, a love affair has begun.

Dreamer of the Dawn" (4:03) a song that sounds a bit like GUNS 'N' ROSES with some RUSH basics, but as Cody's vocals and drumming go on I'm feeling that we're experiencing a new, though retro-oriented, sound. A power duo from Canada, Crown Lands play a style of progressive rock with classic rock and psychedelic leanings that would normally not even cross my mind to check out. I heard about this band when they were opening for my Quebec Kiss show - just listened once and immediately bought the record. It follows the story of the main character, Fearless, who sees his planet being colonized and destroyed by the interstellar syndicate by harnessing the power of the sun to destroy his planet for profit and greed.

The Shadow finally sees the band keeping distance from Rush (mostly) and resembling the Spell/Skullfist sound. Either way, there are echoes of the first song within ‘Pt I’, most notably, the sensationally addictive chorus that builds upon a line uttered in the opener: ‘If life is a wheel, please let it spin’.

It doesn’t miss a beat from beginning to end, winding its way effortlessly through a vibrant, colourful, and engaging soundscape that twists and turns with the kind of fluidity that you wish all ‘epics’ of this length could muster. The riffs within the catchy chorus have a proper edge to them, accenting the quieter, brooding verses where keys create the bulk of the musical backdrop.The halfway mark of the song is an arpeggiated synth riff in the 11/8 time signature, that has the likes of Brad Fiedel’s score to 1984’s sci-fi/horror classic, The Terminator. There is the Fearless concept story told over several songs, time changes galore, virtuoso playing, this is prog for the modern day warrior.

Interestingly, for all its upbeat nature and welcoming embrace, the final track, ‘Citadel’ allows the duo to introduce a slightly more sombre, almost melancholy vibe upon which to close things out. Reflections" (5:43) a bit of a stylistic departure from the Rush scene on this one--at least, insofar as the vocals and verses; the choruses are all Rush. With all the garbage out there it's refreshing to hear some great music again, said the 73 year old rocker. WE may be listening to two individuals for whom music is as essential to their being--to their every breath--as the aforementioned talents (both of whom I believe were conduits of the flow of a force from a source far greater than any corporeal human). The opening piano notes hint at something slightly different, a hint that is fully realised as the track develops.A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressively-blended classic hard rock music--on a skill level that you rarely see achieved in the 21st Century. Despite the band's acknowledgement of having grown up feeding off of 15-second sound bites, they have done quite an admirable job of holding onto the motifs of their 18-minute suite for more suitable lengths--which is much more in line with what we Baby Boomers are used to and looking for. Well as a Rush , Zeppelin fan it would be hard not to start thinking this should be good - and like I say it wears it's influences front and centre. The musicianship throughout from the talented duo is spectacular, matched by a production that offers the instruments plenty of space to shine.

The fuzzed-up lead solo is infectious, and the sub-four-minute affair is over in the blink of an eye.From the great northern country of Canada, the progressive rock band Crown Lands is here to share not only their new album, “Fearless”, but to communicate the history of Indigenous land being stolen from the First Nations during the process of colonization.