Crown the Lost - Blind Faith Loyalty Review
by Matt Hensch
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You know, thrash is hard to mislabel, but for some reason, no one seems to get it right in the case of Blind Faith Loyalty, the sophomore full-length from Crown the Lost. Mark my words when I say you will not be fooled by the shred-sh*t masquerade, but perhaps Crown the Lost may secure a place in your heart if you have a love towards…towards what – fast, senseless music?
That is the crowd that will gobble up Blind Faith Loyalty like a tit-covered cookie. I cannot say Crown the Lost's second full-length merits any knowledgeable omissions, whether musical performances are in question, or if you need to know if substance can be detected in the vocal sector. Putting it in simple terms, Crown the Lost is just another dazzled band failing at a concrete identity that clearly doesn't represent a likeable foundation no matter which way one slices it.
Crown the Lost treads the modern melodic death frontier that while occasionally angling into bland pseudo-thrash with a touch of metalcore. It is not the pure thrash link so many claim to see. Musically though, Blind Faith Loyalty applies a single algorithm constructed with relentlessly fast riffing towards accommodating the melodic sense, hyper percussion, distracted mid-paced sections, and several volleys between verses and choruses. There is usually a breakdown every now and then too.
And that is why this record just is not any good – the band does the same banal pattern for ten songs, withering their ideas dry in the process. But watch out! They play fast guitars along with lots of soloing…lots of soloing, dear lord. Some otherworldly, some downright acidic, such as a fantastic intro of dueling leads igniting "Defame the Hypocrites" wonderfully, whereas "Drawing the Parallel" demonstrates how disorganized too much soloing can bring if not tamed properly. I do not know why, but I just picture Blind Faith Loyalty working better as a musical with flashy dancing instead of a metal album. Maybe it is just me…maybe. Seriously though, every track just hovers away with no memorable moments at all, and instrumentally, that is the album.
Holding the microphone for Crown the Lost is a lad named Chris Renaldi, infamous for his role, yet still a mere frontman. I have gotten a certain opinion after researching Crown the Lost that most people just do not like this guy because he is misplaced above all reasoning, his voice possessing limitation and a monotone quality.
These observations could not be more accurate. As a vocalist, Renaldi is not horrendous, but his bombastic, overblown tone does not deliver any justice when tied into Crown the Lost's sound. Furthermore, his inability to drift away from that single pitch throughout ten tracks does some damage without time to build any barriers. He can hit high notes incredibly well when said action occurs, but in conclusion, this is not enough to prove that he does anything beside lack concrete skill as a singer. It also does not help Chris' case that his arbitrary vocals have to deal with the modern metal configuration as stated above.
Despite a few songs that contradict the overall trend of Crown the Lost's atmosphere, Blind Faith Loyalty is an unexciting, tedious effort with very little might or identification present within its chambers. The metalcore flirtation and constantly hitting on mainstream melodic death metal à la modern In Flames and thrash-revival junk proves Crown the Lost needs a new formula, because what they are doing now is not yielding any worthwhile results. Overall, there is really no reason to look into Blind Faith Loyalty unless the age of modern melodic death metal has a nice spot in your musical heart, which I am not sure why it would in the first place, but that is not my business.
Tracklisting
Defame the Hypocrites
Drawing the Parallel
Bound to Wrath
Symbiotic
Finality
Dreaming in Reverse
Privation
Impose Your Will
Hollow Refuge
Blind Faith Loyalty
CD Info and Links
Crown the Lost - Blind Faith Loyalty Rating:4.0
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