Crone – Gehenna (2014)

Conceived as a side project from Secrets of the Moon’s sG and Markus Renzenbrink of Embedded, this band crafts very dark sounding Rock/Metal that is quite melancholic in nature. In “Gehenna”, the band presents four intense tracks that deliver tons of raw emotions and explore very interesting music ideas. If we had to put a label on this, we would say that they are a mixture of Katatonia, Bethlehem, Mystons, Grey Waters and Decoryah, but with its own twisted intricacies.

The album leads off with the atmospheric dreamy intro passage of “House of Gehenna”. In this track you immediately know that this release will be quite unique. Never being overzealous, the band slowly escalates the intensity and it is greatly led by the dramatic vocals of sG paired with melodic guitars. Melancholy overpowers this release with the catchy and grim “Your Skull-sized Kingdom”, full of great guitar leads and excellent vocal melodies.

Our favorite track of this release is the versatile “Escher’s  Stairs”, a track combines acoustic guitars with some electric guitar leads an a very emotional vocal performance. This track is quite unique in the sense that is blends two words perfectly and that is quite emotional and disarming at the same time. “Dead Man” closes this release with the participation of Jarboe in the heaviest track of this mini album.

Overall, “Gehenna” showcases a very unique band with a truly melancholic sound and atmosphere. sG’s vocals are beyond perfect for such a release and the music is expertly composed to ooze emotions. If you like borderline Rock/Metal bands like Mystons, Grey Waters, and the mellow stuff of Katatonia and Bethlehem, this is one album that you can’t afford to miss.

Label: Prophecy Productions / Ván Records

Release: October 10th, 2014

Genre: Atmospheric Rock/Metal

Country: German