Calm After the Storm: On The Crown Remnant’s 'The End of Days', and Making Music as an Independent Artist
Creativity. It can create a massive beacon of hope for those passionate about what they desire to achieve. For those in the scene, it is the very essence that drives artists forward when they do not often get the exposure or recognition many of them rightly deserve. 2020 also changed the way bands used creativity in that sense. From how bands market themselves to a larger audience to how they write and produce music at a time where the world itself is in a weird and unpredictable space.
Yet even still, there are California-based acts like The Crown Remnant, who forge a path forward with his newest release The End of Days, showing that passion and creativity can help us cope, even dig out complicated struggles we can not put into words at the moment. Yet still, we find a way to move forward. The Crown Remnant has joined us today to talk about the album, what music means to him, and what is next for the artist this year.
How did the Crown Remnant get started? What was the vision behind it?
The Crown Remnant started in late 2016. For me, it was important that whatever the project grew to be, it would stay focused on creative, original music and would never become just a hobby. The name The Crown Remnant came from the experience that people who aren’t truly passionate about music come and go. This band was created from the remains of those that stayed.
I had been the lead writer on the previous record The Wicked King (2017-2019). As people came and went, life happened. I decided last year to take on the project as my own independently and continue the vision for creative, original music. It’s really important to me that this project always stays true to its core value: writing music. After all, you love it, because you have something to say, and having the passion and dedication to work in an industry can be a struggle as an independent artist.
What are your music influences? How was that incorporated into The End of Days?
I’m an early 2000's kid. I was born in the ’90s, and my older siblings growing up influenced me with that '90s flair - hip-hop, grunge, etc. When I was young, I always found myself drawn to music that was even older than my time. When my love for rock grew into this love for metal, I was caught in the new wave of American heavy metal with groups like Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu, System of a Down, and Killswitch Engaged.
The Crown Remnant ‘The End of Days’ Album Art
As I came to write my music - and eventually The End of Days - I found that while primarily influenced by bands like those I previously mentioned, this project was a perfect opportunity to create a modern, unique sound with that vintage instinct from when I was a kid. So on the album, you’ll hear a lot of old-school stylings, tape delay effects, and classic guitar tones. At the same time, I’ve always carried my love of rock/metal music with a love of composition and cinematic orchestral music, so that unique experimental TCR sound is very much alive on The End of Days.
I want to talk about the album a bit. There are some political and dark undertones lyrically surrounding this album, I'm only assuming that 2020 and a lot of what let up to it had a part to play in it. There is this ebb and flow of going through the storm and reaching the other side, not completely getting over it, but there is a compromise of some sort. Is that fair to say?
That’s definitely fair to say. Conceptually the album does have this theme of a storm bringing about the titular end of days. Although in some ways, that storm is also meant to symbolize humanity’s faults that could lead to us potentially destroying ourselves. We are seeing this play out in modern times with the pandemic and in modern-day politics. The album can take this antagonistic stance that humanity is fundamentally broken with our history of selfishness, so it was important for me to take us beyond that depressing outlook with the arc of the record. This album is about endings, but with every ending comes a new beginning, and it wouldn’t have felt complete without highlighting that.
What was the recording process like for The End of Days? I know this was a difficult time for everyone, even artists to write and record around this time. How did this change and evolve you as an artist? How was it different from The Wicked King?
This album was probably one of the most difficult challenges of my life to create. While the writing process went relatively smoothly compared to The Wicked King, there were a lot of hardships the pandemic brought that made it more difficult to record. When you are an independent artist, you finance everything out of pocket, and after losing my job due to COVID I had this intense pressure to make sure I completed the process quickly and perfectly.
This was the first album I’ve ever done largely on my own: from the writing and recording of each instrument to the producing and composing. I hired a great studio in Burbank, CA, with some fantastic engineers Miami Dolphin, and Mazen Ayoub from We Make Noise, known for their work with Joey Sturgis and Gear Gods. With their help, I recorded the entire record in just seven days. Their skills have made this the highest quality album I’ve ever created.
What do you want people to take from this release that have just heard you for the first time?
I’m eternally grateful to the kinds of people that find and listen to independent artists. If this is their first time hearing me, I hope they can hear the passion, creativity, and authenticity put into this project. I design every record I make to be cohesive and feel like an experience when listened from front to back. If this album can make you think or make you feel something that adds to your life, then I’ve done my job. If you’ve become a fan after listening to The End of Days, remember, the end is just the beginning.
What are your plans for this year?
Like everyone else, I’ve been eyeing news of the vaccine release, anticipating a somewhat return to normalcy! If we can all come together this year and accomplish that feat, supporting this album is the first thing on my mind. The music industry is in such an interesting and terrifying state right now. It’s hard to know when live shows will be an easy and ethical thing to do. When that day comes, you can be certain, I’ll be working on bringing The End of Days to the stage, but before then, you can expect new exciting content like playthroughs, music videos, and more on The Crown Remnant YouTube channel, and social media @thecrownremnant!