The Crown Se05

Having celebrated their thirtieth anniversary in 2020 [their first eight years spent as Crown Of Thorns], The Crown have proven themselves one of the most enduring forces in death metal. In 2021 they further up the ante with Royal Destroyer, a record that sets a new standard for the genre. "It is our album number ten, so now we are in the big boys club," says bassist Magnus Olsfelt. "I think it in some ways is our crowning achievement, and it encompasses our sound across all albums on one defining record. It's got it all - the early 90s death metal stuff, the haunting melodies, the thrash, the punk, the grind, the heavy metal and the more epic and doomy stuff."

The legacy of the celebrity castrato Senesino has endured for centuries. He is known to us today primarily as Handel’s leading man for 13 seasons in London, and he was recognised the world over for his moving dramatic interpretations, fiery singing, and singular, over-the-top divo personality. Yet, Handel’s music for Senesino only shows us a fraction of the numerous virtuosic roles written for the castrato. Here, for the first time, are arias by seven overlooked composers who also wrote showpieces for the (in)famous Senesino. All but one of the arias on this album are modern-day premieres and heard together, they illuminate the talents of an 18th-century operatic icon.

Queen. They made music that was so unique, there aren't really that many bands that have been brave enough to attempt cover versions of their songs. Few singers, after all, want to have their voice compared to Freddie Mercury's, few guitarists can negotiate the tightrope wire between dazzling technique and melodic playing as skillfully as Brian May.
While some bands are all about The Sound, and others are all about The Song, Queen excelled at both. Sumptuous productions, virtusoso performances and a willingness to go out on a limb meant that you were guaranteed to hear something you'd never heard before, while the songs got their finely honed hooks in you and refused to let go…

In 1931 the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra recorded ten titles for the low-budget Crown label. This LP includes all ten numbers plus two alternate takes, giving Henderson's band a chance to play material generally not associated with their early brand of swing including such tunes as "After You've Gone," "Stardust," "Tiger Rag" and even "Twelfth Street Rag." It is interesting to hear trumpeters Bobby Stark and Rex Stewart, trombonist J.C. Higginbottham and tenorman Coleman Hawkins soloing on this unlikely material.