Crowned in Frost

Crowned in Frost, released on 22 March 2019, is the second album, on which Frozen Crown tied melodeath-derived keen riffs to European power metal's lift. Giada “Jade” Etro's clear voice and the thick melody woven by two guitars give the frozen world speed and flourish. The line-up is still the early one, with Talia Bellazecca on guitar, Filippo Zavattari on bass and Alberto Mezzanotte on drums. Even at speed the songs keep a clear outline, and the choruses stick — as on the second track, “Neverending.” The same is true of “In the Dark” and “Winterfall”: the songs lift at the moment Mondelli's and Etro's voices overlap. Across eleven tracks, from the overture “Arctic Gales” to the title track, technical phrasing is used but melody is always at the centre. Cold colour suggesting a winter fantasy and hot forward drive can be enjoyed at once. The band at this point had a pleasing directness, sounding out its love of its sources as it was. Mondelli openly cites Dark Tranquillity, In Flames and Children of Bodom, and that Nordic sharpness forms the record's skeleton. It made critics' year-end lists.