HEADLESS CROWN – Time for Revolution
- Posted on 04-12-2015
This is the debut album for Swiss heavy metal quintet Headless Crown – an 11 song record entitled "Time for Revolution". Taking approximately three years to assemble the right musicians, the sound is very street level and focused on easily identifiable hooks from both musical and vocal perspectives. It’s clear to hear that Saxon, Accept, and Judas Priest would be three of the heroes Headless Crown bases their style around, as the guitar sound has that double wall of heaviness while the rhythm section keeps the counts in the pocket and anthem-bound.
Unfortunately for all of the attention placed on hooks, the performances leave a lot to be desired for thrilling songwriting. A lot of the lead breaks are mindless and sloppy, the choruses very juvenile and simplistic, and the main vocals from Steff Perrone would fit in better in more of a glam hard rock act than someone wishing to be the next Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson. The robotic, stiff drum parts out of Carlos Bensabat during "Hellhounds" could cause fits of laughter, despite the decent bass line Mack Machet supplies. You can tell throughout the 53 minute record that a lot of this material wouldn’t make it out of the rehearsal stage of songwriting for the mentors that aspire to become.
Steff’s limitation during the verses of semi-power ballad "Searching for My Soul" can make things cringe worthy, as he tries to be softer and reflective but doesn’t have the convincing emotional impact necessary to pull this off. Segments of "Edge of Sanity" and "Evil Rising" elevate Headless Crown beyond bargain bin material, if only for the catchy guitar hooks that helped make Accept and Judas Priest household names in heavy metal – but overall, "Time For Revolution" is too cliché, too predictable, and too average for the traditional metal fans to get excited about.