a3839608597_10

Crone Tells True Tales of Terror in “Mother Crone”

a3839608597_10

Metal and horror are as iconic of a duo as the weird side of YouTube and accidentally staying up until 3:00 AM. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be nearly as many occult-themed metal bands, as evidenced by the abundance of themed festival lineups. No shade, of course. The ubiquitousness exists to meet a demand, and the demand exists because it works. While some are guilty of copying and pasting, others put forth a noble effort to keep the combo from running stale.

After helping to carve out one of the most idolized movements in modern metal, Phil “sG” Jonas of Germany’s blackened goth outfit Secrets of the Moon explores a different take on the world’s frightening underbelly with his project Crone. The four piece, which also includes the likes of Markus Renzenbrink of Embedded, takes things down a notch to old school hard rock while illuminating the spooky undercurrent of everyday tragedy. “Mother Crone” wastes no time on conjuring rites as it begins its mediation on a mysterious jump off of the Golden Gate Bridge, which proves just as unsettling as any nightmare cooked up in a moonlit wood. As American as apple pie, suicide and the questions that it leaves behind stay encapsulated in the chambers of a heart beating hypnotically onwards. Combined with Manson-style vibrato and glam-fused guitar solos, Crone cultivates the kind of quietly disquiet atmosphere that takes over right before death comes back to strike.

Just in time for weedy old April, Crone will be dropping Godspeed next week via Prophecy Productions. Recommended for fans of Uncle Acid, Chrch, and Pentagram, the full-length will be packing eight bleak visions of true tales. Casting a gaze of antiquity from modern eyes, Crone will be what your springtime jams are made of.

-Jenna DePasquale

Follow Crone on Bandcamp.