KINGCROWN is a power metal band from France, who formed in 2018. Their latest release “Nova Atlantis,” is their third full-length album. This is my first time hearing KINGCROWN’s music but I can firmly say this is solid power metal with decent, if unspectacular, songwriting. “Nova Atlantis,” has all the hallmarks of what makes a good album for this genre: shiny production, robust instrumentation, catchy choruses, and epic vocals. The album has a ton energy; there isn’t a bad song on the album and each one of them cuts to the chase pretty quickly. What’s interesting is, there isn’t really a song on here I would call a “ballad” per say. Although there are certainly slower, more atmospheric parts spread throughout the album, each song is high-octane for the style.

The album opens with “The Magic Stone,” and by the time only a few seconds have passed, the band is in full form. The drums hammer out the catchy beat while the vocals rip through the lyrics, which are also catchy as hell. The guitar solo near the end is super tight: melodic and blazing. The title track begins with a more atmospheric touch, melodic guitars smoothly casting out a passage that transitions into heavy riffs effortlessly. The bass is heavy and acts as the song’s anchor for the rest of the band to build their craft. The vocals on this song are fantastic, one of Joe’s best performances on the album. Unfortunately, after this song nothing much really changes. As I said, all the songs are good but this album is a case of “if you heard one, you’ve heard them all.” You could put this on random and be guaranteed a good time but I would like a little more depth. That’s a personal preference and that may or may not bother other listeners.

I will say “A Long Way To Valhalla,” is a late track that does stand out better than the other ones. The classical, clean instrumentation and a stellar vocal performance make the song shine amongst the others as it’s more atmospheric and willing to soar a little higher. As far as power metal goes, this is a simple but effective album that provides a solid romp through their magical brand of soaring metal. If you don’t like power metal, “Nova Atlantis” won’t change your mind. If you are a power metal fan, you’ll get some mileage out of this but don’t expect it to blow your mind.