KINGCROWN is releasing their debut album under a new name. Formerly called OBLIVION, the band has re-branded itself, producing Metal ballads with a melodic and progressive bend. With stellar production, instrumentation and ambiance, the album is solid. However, the theatrical vocals can be hit-or-miss.

"The Flame of My Soul" opens with light symphonics before the guitar squeals in with a high, slow melody line. I love how this line is juxtaposed against the fast rhythm guitars and symphonics. The vocals are clear and on-key with a stylistic touch of gravel through his range. The musicality on this track is impressive and while the guitar solo doesn't stray too far from the main riff, they still employ good, interesting techniques with the melody tone and tempo.

"Qumrân Caves" is faster and harder than the last song, starting off with a light acoustic chord, but then blasting into a gritty riff. The vocals are also gravellier on this track. However, the overall tone and feel of this song is less tight than the last track, favoring a looser mixing of the instrumentals, specifically the timing of the vocals against the instrumentals. This is especially noticeable when the instrumental break hits since the instrumentals themselves are tight and rhythmic whereas the vocals are more syncopated.

"In the Sky of Athens" has a speedy, soaring melody contrasting low guitar notes with higher symphonics in the background. It's a tight, uniform song that soars throughout. The solo has some of the best technique I've heard so far, including sweeps and arpeggios that form great harmonies with the symphonics and bass.

"The Human Tide" has a similar, soaring tone as the last song. It employs more ambiance with choir elements in the background and a higher pitch form the vocalist. However, coming right after the last song, it sounds so similar it's hard to differentiate between the two.

Thankfully, "Over the Moon" comes in next to switch the tone. While it's still an intense song, it's slower and softer. Despite the smooth instrumentation, the vocalist's gravel style really doesn't fit here. Until the music swells with intensity, and even then, it sounds like he's struggling to contain his voice and just sounds disconnected from the melody of the song.

"The End Is Near" returns us to a faster, heavier sound, with more symphonics and a distinct choir element in the chorus. The vocals are a better fit in this song due to their bombastic, characterized nature and the song, like the first four, soar beautifully and employ engaging harmonies throughout. The guitar solo is smooth and features well-pitched notes. I enjoyed the theatricality of this song the most, especially after the solo.

"Golden Knights" begins with machine gun drums and a cacophonic riff that is chaotically warlike. While the vocalist would seem like a good fit in the song, it's grating during the verses. I feel like it's too strained and nasally and it dampens the quality of the song. The chorus is excellent though, and all the elements soar wonderfully, including the vocals.

"Sad Song for a Dead Child" has an intense, hard beginning that doesn't sound sad at all, except for a slower marching beat in the back. Here, the vocals are more restrained and moved a little further back in production; dialing back the theatrics in the voice was a good call with the theme and the instrumentation in this song since it's not overwhelming.

"Soundtrack of my Existence" has a creeping beginning with relentless, gravelly bass line. It intensifies in the middle of the first verse and employs the vocals well: some characterization without theatrics (too nasally or too much gravel) that compromise the quality or sounding on-key and rhythm.

The closing song, "A Perfect World," features a lot of steady, slow instrumentation at first, but then picks up pace in the middle into a thrashing melody that again, features the gravelly vocals well. The atmosphere changes through the song, epitomizing the songs on the album and encapsulating them into one song. As their final song, they put together their musicality well: the ambiance, guitar notations, and even bring out the best in their singer, creating a nicely composed final song.

The bonus track is an acoustic version of "Over the Moon." Honestly, I was wary of the vocals, but this time, when they're softer, they're also smoother, fitting in with the beautiful, intricate guitars here.

Overall, the production is clear, the instrumentation is great, but the vocals can be hit or miss in general, and not just due to a bad fit in one style or another. The theatric style is fine in some songs, but in others, it's so over-the-top it compromises the integrity of the song, namely, the instrumentation and tone. The hit-or-miss singing sticks out to the point where some songs are great on their own, but as a whole, I'd say skip this one.