Frozen Crown does not seem like a group that’s content to sit still for very long. Since The Fallen King in 2018, they have yet to let more than two years go by between full-length releases. These Italians have tinkered with their signature blend of power metal and various other subgenres over the years, on which Eldritch Elitist has expertly expounded with overall positive results. Most recently, he praised 2024’s War Hearts for its concise, pop-leaning compositions. Their sixth album, The Legend of the Six Kings, is a continuation of this sleek, streamlined strategy, with outcomes that may be surprising for longtime fans.
The most immediately obvious change is in Frozen Crown’s velocity, as they move away from a fast-paced Wintersun sound and towards a mid-paced Battle Beast emphasis on rousing anthems. Whereas the melodic death metal influence used to be heard in the instrumentation alone, The Legend of the Six Kings flips the script with simpler heavy metal instrumentation and occasional melodeath growls by Federico Mondelli. This isn’t to say that Frozen Crown is abandoning their Europower roots, though. Cuts such as “Lightning in the Sky” and “Through the Fire” showcase Giada “Jade” Etro’s gritty singing alongside galloping guitar leads, and there is still some swift soloing to be found in some of the songs (“Winter Hearts,” “The One”).
Yet, The Legend of the Six Kings almost always feels watered down in tempo and technicality when compared to its predecessors. Although Frozen Crown is no stranger to soaring choruses, the main focus now appears to be audience engagement during live performances. In a recorded setting, this works better at times than others. The title track’s chorus evokes a similar epic and triumphant feeling as Ancient Bards, whereas “Who Wants to Burn in Heaven” hinges on a catchy, oft-repeated refrain that grows tired after only four minutes. In general, the hooks are not mind-blowingly catchy enough to justify this priority shift to slower, sing-along songwriting. “Winter Hearts” is where Frozen Crown sounds the most like their old selves, with spirited riffs and double bass drumming. It makes me miss when these core elements used to coexist with the thrilling anthems on prior albums.
But Frozen Crown’s reduced pace doesn’t mean they can’t still play some great tunes. In “River of Time,” the vocals and the guitars harmonize to create a warm Brothers of Metal tone that I enjoy. There’s even a cover of “Iris” (Goo Goo Dolls) which sounds surprisingly good in power metal form. The decision to slot “Iris” in the middle of the record rather than tacking it onto the end was a bold one that I’m not sure was fully warranted, but it does help inject some needed vitality into the back half, which has stronger pacing than the front. In terms of song lengths, The Legend of the Six Kings is quite rushed, with most of the ten tracks lasting less than four minutes. I would have preferred more time to flesh out the ideas on display, as the compositions sound a little undercooked and blur together somewhat.
While Frozen Crown may not be inclined to sit still in their career, their music shows signs of running out of steam. They inexplicably discarded the majority of the rapid riffs and rhythms that served as their solid foundation until this point, and it saddens me to hear them so diminished in urgency. The songs are all decent enough on their own, but the relative homogeneity in tempo and the simpler guitar leads cause The Legend of the Six Kings to drag more than its 36-minute runtime would suggest. Similarly, the band members’ individual performances are very well executed, as usual, but the songwriting is a lot safer and more generic across the board. That said, Frozen Crown has never released the same record twice, so I maintain hope for the future. Until then, you’ll find me back at War Hearts.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: frozencrown.bandcamp.com | frozencrown.net | facebook.com/frozencrownofficial
Releases Worldwide: October 2nd, 2026
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