The Snake The Cross The Crown Mander Salis (Equal Vision Records) Sounds like: grandiose, atmospheric sounds with an apocalyptic British singer (who's actually from Alabama). B+
"Mander Salis," the debut LP of The Snake The Cross The Crown, is an album with scope as massive as the band's name. The five-piece plays hypnotically arranged indie rock orchestrations with much emotion. The album, for the most part, forgoes radio friendliness for a serene and lonesome sound that tends to throw listeners into a deep trance.
With the possible exceptions of "Gates of Dis" and "A Gathering of Shades," "Mander Salis" is not exactly the most immediate of albums. The Snake The Cross The Crown doesn't seem to put much effort into writing hooks, opting instead for a more free-flowing sound. Though not necessarily a bad thing, it may take a few listens before one can appreciate the album's grandiosity in full.
Singer Kevin Jones has a voice that's been described as somewhere between Radiohead's Thom Yorke and John Lennon. He's a powerful singer who puts a significant amount of passion into every lyric he sings with enough restraint to refrain from shouting.
Besides the traditional guitar, bass and drum combo, The Snake The Cross The Crown mixes piano, string and electronic elements into their tracks for a more deeply layered sound. The band rarely sticks to one melody for very long before changing up the tempo and volume.
"Echolalia," a nine-minute piece, begins with slow and distant-sounding guitar that evolves as more instruments come in, one by one, until the melody revs into a climax and suddenly cuts out, replaced by a crunchy guitar riff. Meanwhile, "The Sun Tells the Moon" almost sounds as if Godspeed You Black Emperor! got Muse's Matt Bellamy to do vocals.
Other tracks have less sweeping arrangements, with the band opting for a simpler, more folk-influenced acoustic sound. "On the Threshold of Eternity" even effectively employs some country elements (in a good way) to add to the song's forlornness.
The only track that disappoints is the album's slow and repetitive closer, "The Field's of Ius." One wishes the band would have ended "Mander Salis" with more of a bang.
Perhaps the biggest compliment the LP can receive is that it doesn't sound like a debut. The Snake The Cross The Crown is made up of talented musicians who already sound up to par with many of their veteran colleagues. It will be exciting to watch this group as it continues to evolve in the years to come.
