"Echo" is the debut album from IVY CROWN, an all-female Melodic Metalcore group from Denmark. As far as debut albums go, "Echo" is a success that harbors a long list of well-written, catchy tracks that'll stick in your memory. The ladies from Copenhagen play it safe and keep things marketable, exhibiting one radio ready single after another on "Echo". The overall experience won't drastically turn heads as much as it'll keep them pleasurably nodding, and for that they deserve praise.

"IVY CROWN" sounds like PARAMORE with a mid-2000's Metalcore flare. There is no shortage of groovy riffs on "Echo" as tracks such as "Lonesome and Cold", "Run", "It's a Hell", and "Not Who We Are". The band is at their best when they crank out varying degrees of speed and chug heavy guitars. All-the-more satisfying is when they find ways to mix in a taste of jumpy punk vibes. Maria Kjaer's vocals are impressive, as lyrics about broken relationships, societal breakdown, and melancholia display a rare level of fun. Playful word play on "Our Worst Day" show a lot of intelligence in her writing. The production is also top notch, as guitars and bass sound densely layered over drums that pop and crash. The whole experience feels weighty and finely focused.

On the latter, "IVY CROWN" plays it safe. By design, each song is catchy and radio ready at any moment. It's a straightforward "verse-chorus-verse-chorus" type of album, so be sure to check your "avant-garde" at the door. Because of this there are some songs you'll feel you've heard before, and predictability creeps in from time to time. However, these moments are sporadic and don't necessarily take away from what "Echo" does well.

As a debut album, IVY CROWN have done a stellar job with "Echo".  There is enough Groove Metal rhythms and catchy choruses that'll get stuck in your head long after you've turned the album off. With great production value that balances everything out, "Echo" is worth a spin.