Crown Lands
Ritual II

Another pleasant discovery of 2025 for me. The Canadian duo Crown Lands are not particularly prolific at the moment, at least in terms of albums; in ten years, they've mostly released short EPs, with only two actual full-length albums (or rather, let's say just one, since their self-titled debut, considered as a full album, is actually less than 30 minutes long). Their beginnings were deeply influenced by Led Zeppelin, with a hard rock minimalism to which a blues sensitivity was later added, but they soon moved towards greater complexity, with far more structured tracks and a targeted use of synths and mellotron, bringing the duo closer to their fellow Canadians Rush; and let's be honest, it was this very similarity that drew me to them.

But in 2025 they released two twin instrumental EPs that shattered everything and really have nothing to do with what they've done before. “Ritual I” and “Ritual II” feature world music sounds, tribal, ethnic, ambient, new age, African, and everything orbiting around those genres. I feel I must say that all this is a great act of courage, because it’s not very common to venture into such uncharted territories. Whenever a band decides to make a change, it's usually into areas that could potentially broaden their appeal. Shifts towards electronic music are very frequent, perhaps because electronic music gives the impression of embracing a modern, technological sound while at the same time being accessible for radio and international audiences; the already mentioned Rush spent the 1980s enslaved by a system of synthesizers. Or, bands often move towards heavier sounds, whether their base isn’t actually heavy (for example Porcupine Tree) or bands already in the metal sphere looking for that extra edge to hype up the toughest metalhead (think Symphony X). Or it happens that a musically sophisticated group moves more generally in a pop direction (and here Genesis is still the most obvious example).

Crown Lands, on the other hand, have gone truly against the grain and ventured into hardly-trodden ground; there’s certainly no sign of expansionist ambitions in their choice. Meditative, dreamy, scenic, introspective, relaxing and tense music at the same time. You get lost among equatorial forests, reddish dawns, imposing natural landscapes; it’s music made for nature documentaries—actually, it’s a sonic documentary in itself. You let yourself be captivated by tribal percussions, traditional flutes, marimbas, ethnic string instruments, natural and concrete sounds, but ethereal synths aren’t excluded for atmosphere, and guitars are by no means missing. In particular, this second of the two EPs stands out from the first for its greater rhythmic involvement, better exalting the tribal mood thanks to the massive use of percussion, while the first is more relaxed and leans a bit towards the ambient side.

To be fair, hints of such a turn were already observable in their previous releases; at times there had been appearances of percussion or some unusual wind instrument, as well as some slightly meditative or nature-inspired atmosphere, but nothing to genuinely lead one to hope for a full-blown world music shift. In any case, both EPs offer an extremely fascinating sonic journey that is impossible to remain indifferent to. The band will release their new album in May, which will be the third of their career, and judging by the suite they previewed, it sounds like they’ll return to a typically Rush-like approach. I can feel it’s going to be a great record, but it would be a pity if the path taken on these two EPs were totally abandoned.