Crown Lands- Ritual I & 2 Progressive Voyages Review PV030
Crown Lands Ritual 1 & 2
Back in 2015, in the land of the Great White North, something extraordinary was brewing in the town of Oshawa, Ontario. Two lads got together in a barn and began a free-form jam session. Their chemistry was instant and, sensing that there was far more to their collaboration than just formless and random jams, the two began to give serious thought to forming a band consisting of only the two of them…. A “power-duo” if you will. Commiserate with their beliefs, both thought it would also be a good platform from which to compose music that spoke to, and about, the indigenous peoples of Canada, and would address their resistance to the forces of colonialism that have long sought to overtake and mistreat them.
Those two friends, Cody Bowles and Kevin Comeau, became the mighty Crown Lands.
And what a phenomenal progressive rock duo they have grown to be. Known for blending a myriad of progressive rock styles into a whirlwind menagerie of sound and substance, what the band has to say often matters, and the way in which they say it grabs your attention and refuses to let go. With Bowles simultaneously singing and performing on the drums, and Comeau playing everything…. And I mean EVERYTHING…. Else, Crown Lands has seismically shifted generic perceptions of the music industry: challenging the structures of the traditional makeup of a band, and speaking out unapologetically with their musical voice to bring attention to the man-made plagues that have befallen the indigenous Canadian tribes known as ‘First Nations’.
With their new one-two musical punch known as ‘Ritual I’ and ‘Ritual II’, set to be released as a double album in vinyl format on October 3, 2025, Crown Lands have taken a leap back in time, and a VERY sharp turn away from their usual progressive bombast, to bring us some of the best and most beautiful, heartfelt indigenous-inspired music in recent memory; songs that pay homage to those First Nations of Canada and their heritage. They have purposefully eschewed notions of standard musical fare and generic song structures in favor of something far more unique, potentially controversial, and wholly original.
So…. Join me, won’t you? Let us walk into the storm, meet the Serpent, hide in the shadows under moonlight, discover the celestial marshes and embrace the Rituals before us.
Both ‘Ritual I’ and ‘Ritual II’ are raw and tribal in the purest sense of what those words mean. Apart from synths that set an overall background tone and play the melody in a few sparse places, and some scarce and subtle guitar and bass work, there is very little modern instrumentation, electronic or otherwise, that holds any sway here. We are instead presented with the instruments and melodies of the tribes themselves, performed with the use of organic flutes, drums and other more primal percussive devices. The listener is transported to the past of the indigenous tribes; invited into their innermost circles and given a front row seat to witness the gorgeous and riveting ancient power of the music of their bygone era.
If you’re looking for an album that is full of Crown Lands’ trademark progressive rock style, which is akin to Rush and other notable progressive influences, you will not find that here. This is a band that has (at least temporarily) turned itself on its own head; done a full shift in an opposite direction, and is trying something very different and more sensitive to their original musical mission. While ‘II’ is a bit heavier than ‘I’ neither of them really approach anything close to “heavy” as music defines that term.
It is worthy to note that both ‘Ritual I’ and ‘II’, while technically released as albums, are not “albums proper” in the sense of what one might think of with regard to a traditional record release. They are, instead, a bridge of sorts between their most recent album (‘Fearless’) and their next full-length record. So, in essence, these two albums are a “set-up” for the their next release; a “world-building” set of meditative songs that are creating and shaping the land where their next album will take place.
Both of the albums are entirely instrumental in nature, but they are each saturated with so much mood and atmosphere that the instruments themselves become a form of voice. It is both amazing and delightful to hear the songs come to life and tell a story so clearly and evocatively through the simple use of the instruments themselves, coupled with the VERY effective utilization of natural sounds within each track: an actual storm rains down upon the listener in ‘The Storm’ and ‘Tempest’; the real sounds of the marshlands transport you into those marshes in ‘Celestial Marsh’ and ‘Vigil’, etc. It is perhaps one of the strongest aspects of the records that Crown Lands choose to play their melodies and expressive refrains surrounded by the cacophony of the real world around them. It adds a critical depth to the music and their message that is palpable; so thick it can almost be tangibly felt in a literal sense.
These records will not be for everyone or to everyone’s taste; these are not albums for an everyday casual listening experience. They are deep and deliberately structured; contemplative and meditative; their purpose to evoke thought of the Canadian tribes and to reflect upon a past in which those tribes existed free of modern biases, constraints and prejudices. Crown Lands effectively harkens to a time when the people, their music and their land were as one. In this mission, Crown Lands has succeeded, and gloriously so.
Both ‘Ritual I’ and ‘Ritual II’ are “must own” records for any true Crown Lands devotee, and for anyone who appreciates tribal music and song-craft with vision and purpose. They are a distinct and admirable step in the band’s continued progression as musical artists and ambassadors for the rights of Canada’s First Nation tribes, and as outspoken envoys regarding the plight that those tribes contend with. Bowles and Comeau are an undiluted and fiery voice of the voiceless in those regards, and their work is as important and meaningful in that vein as it has ever been.
For more information about the band, visit crownlandsmusic.com. To pre-order ‘Ritual I’ and ‘Ritual II’ on vinyl, or to buy them in digital format, visit the Crown Lands Bandcamp page.
Info here: www.crownlands.bandcamp.com.
Author Chris Clark