When thinking about monsters, it’s easy for your mind to go to some fictional creature that may or may not be living under our beds or in our closets. Instead, there are real forces among us every day who we perceive as beasts. Sometimes it’s a very easy accusation to make with evidence to back it up, while others are open to interpretation depending on your own thoughts and viewpoints.

Los Angeles-based doom power Stygian Crown tackle that very idea on their great second record “Funeral for a King,” a nine-track, 44-minute offering of traditional doom that goes heavier than most of the bands in their corner of the world. The band—vocalist Melissa Pinion, guitarists Nelson Miranda and Andy Hicks, bassist Eric Bryan, drummer Rhett Davis—tackles the idea of monsters among us, those from history, and others from mythology and gives a chance for these beings to be viewed in different ways. Musically, there are tenets of death metal laced into the band’s deep cauldron of doom, and Pinion’s singing and lyrical content create a backbone for this record, one that hopefully puts their name into more people’s brains.

The title track opens, and it’s a rousing instrumental cut, muddy and chugging, ideally setting the stage for what’s to come, burning off into “Bushido.” The track centers in Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese solider unaware WWII had ended. The track makes your heart pump, Pinion’s commanding singing making things move as she calls, “I’m ready to die fighting for my kind, I’m the last alive, honor be my guide.” The soloing keeps ramping up the temperature, bringing things to a blistering end. “Scourge of the Seven Hills” is cold and sludgy, the singing soaring, doom bells ringing and pulsating. The leads are balmy and warm, and Pinion’s singing bellows, with everything ending in a steam bath. “Let Thy Snares Be Planted” is a gothy, shadowy interlude, strings glazing, the orchestral winds whipping through your hair. “The Bargain” drags a pall, strings riveting, the driving force taking over and pushing through your chest. “I’ll grant you the key to rise from this cell, your life for my power, you’ve bargained well,” Pinion calls as the mauling takes hold. The guitars go off as things get muddier, the playing bruises, and Pinion wails, “ Wash away your shame, time’s running short, cast the blame on me.”

“Where the Candle Always Burns” opens with smearing riffs, more aggression, and raspier singing. The chugging gets heavier and weightier, and then the soloing cuts through, a blade through bone, the playing tangling as Pinion calls, “Life, force, cut, short, pray for endless sleep.” “Blood Red Eyes” enters as keys drip, strings blare, and the pace is a little slower and ramps up the emotion. The playing is cold and murky, a beam of elegance just burning through the cloud cover, the singing feeling huskier and powerful. As the song goes on, the sadness and pain multiplies, everything coming to a gloomy end. “Beauty and Terror” is bruising from the start, the singing pushing harder, the playing getting burlier as the temperature spikes. “Best me and you shall win the throne,” Pinion declares, “I’m the deliverer, sword of the titans, here at the gates you die alone,” as smoking doom obscures the senses. The guitars soar as the playing plasters, the charge reignites, and the final moments fade into dust. Closer “Strait of Messina” feels properly Sabbathy, the power flexing its muscles, Pinion wailing, “I fight for my father, creator of the tides.” Everything here feels epic and dramatic, the guitars rip through, and the vibe feels misty and fantastical. The guitars then get to dueling, all sides pulling and creating tension, giving off a Maiden-like vibe as Pinion declares, “Your crew none the wiser as evil draws nigh, six snapping heads descend from the sky.” Chilling end to a scorching record.

Stygian Crown’s examination of monsters and how perspectives can impact how they’re perceived is an interesting one that’s made even more impactful by these nine incredible songs. Taking “Funeral for a King” on its music alone means you’re in for a beastly serving of doom that’s equal parts traditional and sharp in a modern sense, a collection that’s easy to revisit to fully absorb. This is a massive, mighty display from a band that’s in full command of their sound and message, and they’re a force with which to be reckoned.  

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/stygiancrown

To buy the album, go here: https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/