This is the debut EP by Finnish Melodeath metal band CROWEN who formed in 2019 . CROWEN is the solo project of the guitarist, singer and founder of RAIN OF ACID (Esa Uusimaa) and is released by Inverse Records.

It starts in suitably atmospheric form with "Her Words". Soaring strings accompany a constant drum beat on which there's an interplay between Mira's vocals at the foreground and Esa's growls in the background. It's a short track at 2.32 but is effective in its simplicity and atmosphere.

Then the track "Seer's Prophecy" kicks in with heavy guitars and an atmospheric growl. I really like the dynamics of this track particularly when it hits into the doomy chorus which reminded me of the band DRACONIAN.

"Submission" comes next and gallops along on heavy guitar and disembodied electronics. This is where Mira's clean and soft vocals complement Esa's deathly growls in the chorus. Esa's vocals do remind me a liitle of Ihsahn which is no bad thing. 'Inhale the sickness...eternal pain...hiding inside your mind' sings Mira before Esa joins in with his metal vocals complementing the cleans. The duel vocals work very well.

Gentle piano and strings introduce "Black" before crushing guitars and vocals join the mix. Esa's clean vocals then add another dynamic to the song and double-kick drums propel the song forward. It then continues with an atmospheric lead guitar (and the only one on the album). It ends as it begins, on gentle piano. I really liked this track and all the parts of the song worked really well.

The EP ends with "Exosus" which is a great song to headbang to and gallops along on a tight melodic riff. There's a nice bass breakdown towards the end and the guitar sits comfortably on top and propels the song to its final chorus.

I would have liked the lyrics for the songs to accompany me as like a lot of bands within this genre, the vocals were difficult to decipher. However, in under 19 minutes CROWEN have created quite an impressive EP. It's well produced and does have a lot going for it. Esa's clean vocals on "Black" show there is more than one string to his vocal bow and every song sounds different and has its own distinctive arrangement. With the additional clean vocals from Mira, which adds another dynamic, it certainly paves the way for future success and further inventive arrangements.