The Union of Crowns

The Union of Crowns is the second studio album by British metalcore band Bury Tomorrow. The album was released on 13 July 2012 through Nuclear Blast. It was produced by Antony Smith and Pedro Teixeira. It is also the last album to feature the band's founding lead guitarist Mehdi Vismara before he left the band in 2013. It was recorded within the first few months of 2012. The album's release was delayed several times by the band in attempts to find a record label who could provide international distribution simultaneously.

The Union of Crowns
Studio album by Bury Tomorrow
Released	13 July 2012
Studio	CDS Studios, Chelmsford, Essex, UK[1] Ridgeway Sound Studios, Wantage, Oxfordshire[2]
Genre	Melodic metalcore
Length	54:49
Label	Nuclear Blast
Producer	Antony Smith Pedro Teixeira
Bury Tomorrow chronology
Portraits (2009) The Union of Crowns (2012) Runes (2014)
Singles from The Union of Crowns
"Lionheart" Released: 8 September 2011 "Royal Blood" Released: 30 December 2011 "An Honourable Reign" Released: 21 May 2012 "Knight Life" Released: 10 August 2012

Upon release, the album received mixed to positive reception from critics. With critics primarily praising the album song writing and sonic improvement from the band's predecessor, Portraits, negative criticism stemmed from its lack of innovation and the album is sometimes considered excessive in length.

Background and recording

The band left their independent labels Basick Records and Artery Recordings and spent a lot of time trying to find a label who wouldn't wish to compromise with the band on the sound of The Union of Crowns.[3] The band were encouraged by Artery Recordings, their American label to move and base themselves in the United States but they refused as they had little experience in the country.[4] After sending some instrumental demos of new songs to Nuclear Blast records, the band felt Nuclear Blast had a lot of faith in them.[5] The whole goal of the album for the band was to rival the standards of American metalcore bands.[6] Bass guitarist Davyd Winter-Bates commented on the album target for the album saying "Portraits was about us proving we could do metalcore as well as the Americans, and The Union of Crowns marks the first step towards us showing the world that we can do it as well as anyone."[4]

Composition

Influences, style and themes

The band's style is seen as metalcore, or more specifically "melodic metalcore".[6][7][1] Their music features a contrast between melodic and aggressive vocal styles, intricate guitar riffs, clean-sung choruses and breakdowns.[7][8] The album is seen as a showing a sonic evolution from the band's debut album, Portraits.[9] Dani Winter-Bates when asked about the development from Portraits he said that "It's the same basic formula but we've all gotten better at our instruments."[10] The band's sound will vary based on which vocalist takes the lead. Jason Cameron's "soulful" voice is matched by a melodic background, and is quickly contrasted by the chaos that surrounds Dani Winter-Bates aggressive growling.[11]

Unlike their debut album, The Union of Crowns shows a melodic death metal influence, being comparable to As I Lay Dying.[12] Lead vocalist Dani Winter-Bates, when asked how the music on the album sounds like he jokingly commented "basically if Michael Bolton joined Killswitch Engage." Furthermore, stating that the album is very similar to the works of Killswitch Engage and Parkway Drive.[10] Both tracks "1603" and "A Curse" show progression beyond the band's typical sound experimenting with different instruments and song structures. "1603" uses a piano melody to open the track then guitar solo and melodic singing to guide the song.[7] The album closer "A Curse" opens with a simple guitar riff, building to Jason's clean vocals and features no screaming vocals from Dani and closes with an "intense, powerful guitar solo."[13]

The lyrics featured on the album talk about unification of England and Scotland and other themes of medieval society with a majority of the track names relating to royalty and medieval life.[9][1][8] The purpose of the union as a theme was to represent the band's union with their fans.[2]

Release and promotion

The band both headlined a stage at Southampton based Takedown music festival and was the main support for Of Mice & Men on their April tour of the UK.[14] In these dates, Bury Tomorrow debuted their two new singles, "Lionheart" and "Royal Blood", as well as two brand new songs off the album at these live shows.[15][16] On 1 May 2012, Radio 1 host Daniel P. Carter debuted the band's third single for the album "An Honourable Reign".[17] The music video for "An Honourable Reign" was filmed in Snowdonia with production company Sitcom Soldiers editing the footage.[18] On 9 July, the band unveiled the second track from the album "The Maiden". This was debuted both on Alternative Press and Daniel P. Carter's BBC Radio 1 podcast The Rock Show.[19][20] On 14 July, Bury Tomorrow released a typography styled music video for "The Maiden".[21] On 4 September, the band released a music video for the track "Knight Life".[22]

The album's release was delayed several times by the band in effort to find a record label to help distribute and promote the album. Initially projected to be released in May of that year but then was pushed further back to be planned for late June.[15] By 2 April 2012, the announcement that Bury Tomorrow had been signed to Nuclear Blast Records came the announcement of its release dates, starting with 13 July for the European Union, 16 July for the United Kingdom and 17 July for the United States.[23] Upon its British release, on 16 July 2012, the entire album was streamed on their AbsolutePunk profile exclusively.[24] Upon the album's release the album debuted at number 6 on Rock & Metal Chart,[25] number 11 on the Independent Chart,[26] and number 3 on the Independent Breakers Chart.[27] In the United States, the album peaked on 4 August 2012 at number 25 on the Top Heatseekers chart and sold 1,062 copies all in its first week.[28][29] Ahead of the release of the album, the band has planned to support Architects in November in a tour round Britain alongside Deez Nuts and The Acacia Strain. This tour is wrapped round both Bury Tomorrow's and Architects' appearance at UK Warped Tour.[30] In cooperation with Monster Energy, a B-Side from the album, titled "Darkest Regions", was released as a free downloadable track on 26 December 2012.

The fifth and last music video released was for "Sceptres", which was released on 21 August 2013 leading up to their performance at Reading and Leeds Festival in the UK.[31] In November, the song "Sceptres" appeared on the Kerrang! rock chart at number 20. This chart is a combination of all of a songs presence on the Kerrang! radio and television schedule and official chart sales.[32] The band then went on their first British Headline tour with Feed the Rhino, Empress and Heart in Hand.[33] After this tour the band did a short six show tour of Austria in November.[34]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Alternative Press	[8]
AltSounds	(89%)[7]
Bloody Good Horror	(Favourable)[35]
Dead Press!	[13]
Examiner.com	(Favourable)[11]
Rock Freaks	8.5/10[36]
Sputnikmusic	[12]
Thrash Hits	4.5/6[9]

The album received generally positive reviews from critics, who primarily praised the album's song writing and sonic improvement from its predecessor.[7][36] Bloody Good Horror in a pre-release review of the album gave a favourable assessment. Starting off the review stating "Bury Tomorrow doesn't reinvent the wheel on The Union of Crowns, but there are times when doing something well is its own form of progression."[35] AltSounds writer Candice Haridimou gave the album a score of 89 out of 100. When talking about the track 'Royal Blood' she said "It's more than clear at this point that the band have the skill and the passion for making big music that makes a big impact, but their desire to grow is something that shines brightly above all. Its tracks like this that show they’re ready to take metal to a new level and that the goal doesn't always have to be tearing your face off."[7]

Corey Hoffmeyer from Examiner.com credited the band for having a more concise and more creative album over their previous album, Portraits.[11] Rock Freaks author Aleksi Pertola gave credit to singer Jason Cameron with both his vocal range and how the music was written to focus on his vocals. "Granted, the vast majority of the 14 songs do follow a rather traditional arrangement in terms of verse and chorus as a consequence. But when you've got such talent at your disposal, it would be foolish not to litter your songs with opportunities for Cameron to shine."[36] Steven Spedding of Sputnikmusic credited their song writing and that they have found a formula that works for them saying "They have harnessed an ability to write more measured sections, where the aggression is toned down for tasteful instrumentals and this I feel is where they excel most."[12] AllMusic writer Eduardo Rivadavia, in a four out of five star review praised the band for cohesively blending aggressive and melodic traits without sounding like polar extremes, further commenting "all this aggression always meshes judiciously with melodic counterpoints to maximum effectiveness."[1]

Despite positive reviews, negative criticism stemmed from its lack of innovation and the album's sometimes considered excessive length. Spedding commented in his review Bury Tomorrow have "an obsession with padding out songs with breakdowns."[12] Alternative Press writer Phil Freeman was very critical of the album, saying it "just isn't very interesting", further stating: "Nothing establishes Bury Tomorrow as a band with anything unique or surprising to offer—which puts them in exactly the same position they were in two years ago, when their first album, Portraits, was released."[8] Hoffmeyer, despite an otherwise positive review described it as being "frequently plagued by the mediocrity that weighed Portraits down", also saying the album's lack of innovation is shown in their strong influence by other metalcore bands, saying 'Message to a King' is "basically a Parkway Drive song with clean vocals."[11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bury Tomorrow.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Redeemer"	4:33
2.	"The Maiden"	4:38
3.	"Lionheart"	3:38
4.	"Message to a King"	3:49
5.	"An Honourable Reign"	3:59
6.	"Knight Life"	3:32
7.	"Royal Blood"	3:51
8.	"Bitemarks"	3:46
9.	"Abdication of Power"	4:21
10.	"Kingdom"	3:43
11.	"1603"	4:39
12.	"Sceptres"	3:23
13.	"Vacant Throne"	3:26
14.	"A Curse"	3:38
Total length:		54:49

B-Side Track[37]

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Darkest Regions"	4:43
Total length:		59:32

Personnel

Bury Tomorrow[38]

• Dani Winter-Bates – unclean vocals
• Mehdi Vismara – lead guitar
• Jason Cameron – rhythm guitar, clean vocals
• Davyd Winter-Bates – bass
• Adam Jackson – drums, percussion

Additional personnel[38]

• Antony Smith – engineering, production
• Pedro Teixeira – engineering, mixing, production
• Mike Curtis – engineering
• Jeff Dunne – editing
• Jamie Graham – management
• Beckie Sugden – booking
• Jacob Hansen – mastering
• Jaap Wagemaker – A&R
• Clinton Watts – editing

Release history

Country	Date	Label	Format	Catalog number	Source
Europe	13 July 2012	Nuclear Blast	CD Vinyl record	–	[23]
United Kingdom	16 July 2012			–
United States	17 July 2012			–

Charts

Chart (2012)	Peak position
UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart[25]	6
UK Indie Albums Chart[26]	11
UK Indie Breakers Chart[27]	3
US Top Heatseekers[28]	25

References

Footnotes

1. Eduardo Rivadavia. "The Union of Crowns – Bury Tomorrow". AllMusic. (Rovi). Retrieved 6 March 2013.
2. Knapper 2012, p. 35.
3. Zach Redrup (4 August 2012). "INTERVIEW: Bury Tomorrow @ Hevy Festival (04/08/2012)". Dead Press. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
4. Bird, Ryan (August 2012). "They Are Unstoppable". Rock Sound. No. 164. London: Freeway Press. p. 71. ISSN 1465-0185.
5. Knapper 2012, p. 34.
6. Bird, Ryan (October 2011). "Class of 2012, Bury Tomorrow". Rock Sound. No. 157. London: Freeway Press. p. 51. ISSN 1465-0185. In terms of melodic metalcore, you'll be pressed to find a band destined for greater things in the year ahead than Hampshire mob Bury Tomorrow.
7. Candice Haridimou (30 July 2012). "Review: Bury Tomorrow – The Union Of Crowns Album". AltSounds. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
8. Phil Freeman (16 July 2012). "Alternative Press | Reviews | Bury Tomorrow – The Union of Crowns". Alternative Press. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
9. Jon Kerr (3 August 2012). "Bury Tomorrow – The Union of Crowns (album review)". Thrash Hits. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
10. Hayley Groombridge (11 July 2012). "Concert review: Bury Tomorrow rock the Underworld". The Upcoming. FL Media. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
11. Corey Hoffmeyer (13 July 2012). "Bury Tomorrow's 'The Union of Crowns' is a significant improvement". Examiner.com. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
12. Steven Spedding (3 August 2012). "Bury Tomorrow – The Union of Crowns (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
13. Cheri Faulkner (16 July 2012). "ALBUM: Bury Tomorrow – The Union Of Crowns". Dead Press!. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
14. "Bury Tomorrow Release Video For "Lionheart", UK Tour with of Mice & Men Starts 20th April 2012". Scribes of Metal. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
15. Andy Cluer (29 March 2012). "Bury Tomorrow | Interviews | hevypetal". Hevypetal. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
16. Khyly Madder (3 May 2012). "Of Mice & Men / Bury Tomorrow / With One Last Breath / Crossfaith". Hevypetal. Retrieved 9 July 2012. Give the best live show that most bands would be envious of. Playing tracks old and new, we are treated to a collection of fan favourites and ‘newbies’ which go down equally as well.
17. "Matt Tuck reveals his new band". Daniel P. Carter. BBC. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
18. Clare Sonic (26 April 2012). "BURY TOMORROW Release 'Royal Blood' Video". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
19. Matthew Colwell (9 July 2012). "Song Premiere: Bury Tomorrow, "The Maiden"". Alternative Press. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
20. "While She Sleeps in session". Daniel P. Carter. BBC. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
21. Brian Kraus (14 July 2012). "Bury Tomorrow release lyric video for "The Maiden"". Alternative Press. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
22. "New Bury Tomorrow Video 'Knight Life' Is Set at a Nightclub, Trolling Wallies Kick Off". Metal Hammer. (Future plc). Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
23. "BURY TOMORROW Signs With NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS". Blabbermouth.net. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
24. Alex DiVincenzo (16 July 2012). "ABSOLUTExclusive: Bury Tomorrow". Absolute Punk. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
25. "28 July 2012 Top 40 Rock & Metal Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
26. "28 July 2012 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
27. "28 July 2012 Top 40 Independent Albums Breakers Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
28. "Bury Tomorrow Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
29. "BURY TOMORROW Hits U.S. Billboard Charts!". Retrieved 13 December 2012.
30. Jon Stickler (27 June 2012). "Bury Tomorrow To Join Architects on November UK Tour". Stereoboard. Eyedigit Limited. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
31. Jamie Giberti (21 August 2013). "Bury Tomorrow Unveil Music Video For Sceptres (Filmed at Download Festival 2013)". Rock Sins. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
32. James McMahon, ed. (16 November 2013). "Kerrang! Rock Chart". Kerrang!. No. 1492. London, United Kingdom: Bauer Consumer Media. p. 10. ISSN 0262-6624.
33. Melin Alderslade (17 June 2013). "Bury Tomorrow UK Tour Announced". Metal Hammer. (Future plc). Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
34. JWM (11 September 2013). "Bury Tomorrow Tour Austria". Rockfreaks.net. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
35. Chris C (9 July 2012). "Album Review: Bury Tomorrow – The Union Of Crowns". BloodyGoodHorror.com. Spike.com. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
36. Aleksi Pertola (27 August 2012). "Bury Tomorrow – The Union of Crowns Review". Rockfreaks.net. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
37. "Monster Energy® | Bury Tomorrow". Monsterenergy.com. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
38. "The Union of Crowns – Bury Tomorrow : Credits : AllMusic". Allmusic. Rovi. Retrieved 16 August 2012.

Bibliography

• Knapper, Robert (21 July 2012). "Issue 14 of Stencil Mag". Stencil Magazine, Inc. Retrieved 13 December 2012. pages 34–35.
• Alderslade, Melin (August 2013). Alexander Milas (ed.). "Bury Tomorrow Return of the Kings". Metal Hammer. No. 246. 2 Balcombe St. London, UK: Team Rock. ISSN 1422-9048.CS1 maint: location (link)