Atom Splitter PR

While making their second full-length album and first for Artery Recordings, Reign of Terror, Capture the Crown went through a “proverbial” hell, so to speak.

Everything that could go wrong seemed to—as Murphy once so portentously professed. The Australian quintet—Jeffrey Wellfare [Vocals], Jye Menzies [Lead Guitar], Kris Sheehan [Guitar], Tyler March [Drums], and Maurice Morfaw [Bass]—found themselves broke, without a label, an ocean away from home, and fighting to survive.

“I guess these are normal things a band goes through,” says Jeffrey. “We had parted ways with our first record company. We had an RV that broke down, and we had to drop out of a headline tour in order to pay to fix it. I was sleeping in gas stations some nights. We went through fucking hell and back, and the album represents that trip.”

This time around, Capture the Crown unleash unbridled and unmitigated emotion at every turn. They effectively capture the chaos of the time within a metallic yet melodic fusion that’s as focused as it is fiery. The musicians maintain the sonic and stylistic cornerstones of 2012’s breakthrough Til Death, while tightening their overall assault in the process.

“This album is definitely raw, heavy, and straight up,” asserts Jeffrey. “That’s true both lyrically and musically. It comes from a really dark place because of everything that was going on with the band and in my personal life over the past year. It expresses a real quandary, and it’s distressing in places.”

In order to seize that energy, the band enlisted the talents of producers Tyler Larson and Matt Good. Inside a Maryland studio, things got unequivocally intense, too.

“There were times I got naked or had fire in the palm of my hands in order to relive certain moments,” admits the singer. “We wanted to be as real and truthful as possible. As a result, we got the most emotional takes.”

That’s apparent within the first single “To Whom It May Concern.” Jeffrey’s screams groove in tandem with steamrolling drums and chugging, neck-snapping guitars. Everything converges on a starkly searing hook.

“This song came together very easily,” he goes on. “I think it speaks for itself. These were the last lyrics I wrote for the record and they were easy to put on paper.”
“Smirk” opens with a grueling and guttural guitar stomp coupled with Jeffrey’s growling. Seamlessly, it subsides into a powerful melody that, simply put, will shut up any haters. On the other end of the spectrum, the acoustic “Janina” closes out the album with a lush lullaby, emblematic of Capture the Crown’s dynamics.

Jeffrey says, “It’s a pretty personal song to me. It’s a good reason I went back to Australia last year. It’s a very special person to me, and that’s what the song is about. It’s very heartfelt.”

Since first breaking on to the scene in 2012, Capture the Crown have been turning heads. Their first single “You Call That a Knife? This Is a Knife” has accrued nearly nine million views on YouTube, while the band amassed over 250K Facebook “likes” and 56K Twitter “followers.” Moreover, they’ve shared the stage with the likes of Chiodos, Blessthefall, Of Mice and Men, Every Time I Die and Attila.

Ultimately though, Capture The Crown went through that “hell and back” to deliver a message with Reign of Terror. “We want to always be aggressive, brutal, and truthful,” Jeffrey leaves off. “We’re going to keep doing what we do, being who we are, and not giving a fuck about anybody else. I hope people can relate to that. I’d love for them to feel our music and find something real in it.”

Jeffrey Wellfare: Vocals
Jye Menzies: Lead Guitar
Maurice Morfaw: Bass Guitar
Kris Sheehan: Guitar
Tyler March: Drums