Scott's Song by Song #73: Crown Lands - Apocalypse
Welcome to issue #73 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong).For more information about this series, click here:
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Canadian duo Crown Lands has just dropped their new album Apocalypse on today (May 15, 2026)! I had hoped to get an early review copy, but it wasn’t to be this time. But that’s OK, I’m here to get you the info as quickly as I can. As you may know, I wrote an extensive Spotlight article on them last year (see the “Labels” menu), and the “band” is actually a “Power-Duo” consisting of:
- Cody Bowles / vocals, drums, percussion, Ney flute, Pentatonic flute
- Kevin Comeau / 6 & 12 string electric & acoustic guitars, bass, minimoog, Oberheim OB6 synthesizer, Taurus pedals, mellotron
I am excited to hear this new album, especially the closing title epic. As usual, this is a “cold listen”. Let’s jump in:
Track 1 - Proclamation I (1:22)
We begin with the shortest track on the album which fades in with electric piano, and a mellotron chorus joins. Other synth sounds enter then drums, eventually building into essentially a grand introduction for the album. It leads into…
Track 2 - Foot Soldier of the Syndicate (4:18)
… which begins with a rockin’ guitar riff, of course, as one might expect, sounding like late 70s Rush. Cody Bowles does sound a lot like a young Geddy. Crown Lands definitely wears its Rush influences on its sleeve, but it could be seen as a new song in that style; and the boy does have range! There is a bridge at around 2:10 which mellows things down a bit. A cool guitar solo from Comeau follows with Cody doing his best Peart fills. After another verse, there is another brief solo, before we have what sounds like either an army or an angry mob chanting. But here’s the thing– even though it is clear who their influences are, the song absolutely rocked and was very original. I like it; a lot.
Track 3 - Through the Looking Glass (3:45)
This begins with an acoustic 12-string with effects on it. A wind chime adds a nice touch. They are in a moderately slow tempo. Bowles actually sounds a bit more like Robert Plant then Geddy Lee here. The chorus explodes with power chords before returning to the more mellow verse. Another heavy chorus follows and leads to a brief instrumental part. Another pair of choruses follows, and I swear Bowles hits the stratosphere with his voice. Impressive! Great track!
Track 4 - Blackstar (4:02)
This one begins as a more straight-ahead rocker; maybe more like Triumph than Rush. But the guitar/bass turnarounds are really cool between phrases. This would have been all over the radio around 1986 for sure! There are some processed vocals in the bit leading up to the killer guitar solo. That chorus is tailor made for arena sing-alongs! Maybe not the proggiest thing ever, but a killer track nonetheless!
Track 5 - The Fall (4:31)
After a big intro, they go into a guitar pattern with delay that will certainly remind pretty much everyone of Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell”, or Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” (I also get Yes’ “It Can Happen” as well). Seems like they are expanding their influences on this one. The chorus is big and bold with sustained chords and vocal lines. The intro riff returns between verses. This is another one that stays in a straight-up rock 4-4, but it’s still very enjoyable. There is a key change before the guitar solo at around the 3-minute point. Bowles is really hitting those drums hard near the end of the song. Excellent cut!
Track 6 - The Revenants I (5:26)
This one begins with an acoustic 6-string, while Bowles sings a high-pitched melody. Some mellotron joins the accompaniment as we go along. So far it is pretty much an acoustic ballad, wondering if it is going to explode and rock out before it's over. Doesn’t seem like it will. There are bells tolling at around 4:30 and this is where Bowles plays “pentatonic flute”. It ends with a long, slow fade out.
Track 7 - Apocalypse (19:01)
So here is the moment I’ve been waiting for; well 19 of them, really. The closing epic title track. Let’s see what they do with it. A low synth drone fades in as it begins. Then there are serious “Xanadu” vibes. (That’s my favorite Rush song, so I don’t mind.) However, it doesn’t remain a “Xanadu” clone. There are some serious odd-meter riffs with some staccato notes underneath. Bowles is showing his skill as a drummer here. And the riff that they lock into at just before the 2-minute mark is completely progtastic! The Alex Lifeson chord voicings are still present, but otherwise they are doing their own thing. The vocals enter at about 3 minutes in. He is singing very aggressively. A new guitar riff hits at around 3:45 at a moderate tempo, heralding the start of a new segment of the song. At around 5:40 they go into 7-4 and things quiet down a bit. There are even some layered vocal harmonies. But at around 6:30, a new groove hits with some accented notes, then a fast guitar riff that once again conjures Rush vibes. But the vocal parts here are quite different; there’s A LOT going on! At around 7:30, there are some “stop time” riffs before the fast tempo resumes. This seems like a hybrid between Rush’s “Cygnus X-!” and Yes’ “Gates of Delirium" battle scene; very exciting. Things calm back down around 8:20 with some peaceful synth and mellotron choir sounds leading to harmony vocals. There is a guitar solo just after 9 minutes with some homages to Brian May in the stacked harmonies. A big vocal section gives way to a “chime-ey” guitar part on electric 12-string, then flute joins. A bit of staccato riffing takes us to another fast riff that feels like running. The vocals are processed with an interesting effect. This is definitely a full-on prog epic! Lots of sudden time shifts and riffs coming faster than I can tell you about. Just know that if you like heavy-prog epics, this is a must to check out. Things get quiet again at the 14:30 point. The vocal style Bowles adopts here even has a touch of the blues. Comeau definitely loves the Lifeson-style chords, though. Great drum fill around 17:20! Melltron returns as we approach the big finish! While the Rush influences are undeniable, I also get a bit of early Queen, particularly from “White Queen (As It Began)” in the conclusion and we are left with desolate wind sound effects. What a ride THAT was! Definitely the centerpiece of the album.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
If the first six songs were good, then the seventh one is absolutely incredible. The first half of the album was only moderately proggy, but still strong songs. That epic title track, though? Just wow! The only thing I could see rubbing people the wrong way is that Bowles’ voice might not be for everybody. But musically, it’s phenomenal. This is a killer heavy prog album worth checking out. These two super-talented guys really know what they are doing. I’ll give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars, or 90%. Find the links for listening and buying below.
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Prog On!
Scott
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LINKS FOR LISTENING/BUYING:
There is a video for “Through the Looking Glass” here:
And they actually dropped the Title epic about 3 months early, but I wanted to wait for the full album. Here is the video:
This link tree takes you to several places to listen and/or purchase it.
https://crownlandsmusic.lnk.to/Apocalypse-Album
And here is where you can get various formats from their website:
https://crownlandsmusic.lnk.to/Apocalypse-Bio
Finally, here is a direct link to the Bandcamp page:
https://crownlands.bandcamp.com/album/apocalypse-24-bit-hd-audio
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