The band was originally formed back in 1990 as a primitive garage act. And it was first in 1992 that they made their first public appearance on a local compilation CD. In 1993 the band records the now infamous "Forever Heaven Gone" demo with its´ dark & brutal sound. It made some underground attention and got the band to play at the Hultsfred-festival alongside major acts like THE RAMONES and ENTOMBED. Shortly after that appearance original guitarist Robert Österberg left the band and got replaced by Marcus Sunesson, just before the recording of the second Demo "Forget The Light":
Now the band had grown into better songwriters and musicians and the result was a very brutal, intense and evil Death Metal but with a lot more feeling and melody to it, some ´zines wrote that it was the perfect mix between the American and the Scandinavian sound
This led to a deal with the new Swedish Metal label "Black Sun Records". The debut CD "The Burning" featured songs from both the demos alongside some new material and was praised as being one of the strongest and most brutal albums of 1995. A video was shot for the track "Of Good and Evil" and the band also featured on the "Slaytanic Slaughter" tribute album to SLAYER with their version of "Mandatory Suicide".
In 1996 the band once again entered Berno studio to record their second album entitled "Eternal Death" which shows an even more focused, black and epically breathtaking sound. Its´ unique blend of hellspawned riffing, blasting drums, beautiful melodies, ripping heavy metal solos, killer vocals and possessed lyrics in catchy arrangements makes "Eternal Death" a very dangerous and highly addictive album. And it also features a mindblowing version of their 1991 garage cult-classic "Kill (The Priest)". A video was made for the song "Angels Die.
In July 1997 the band is forced to cut their name short into just THE CROWN, due to pressures made by a Christian glam-pop outfit also called CROWN OF THORNS. The name-change however did not affect the bands musical future as they stated that they still are the same nightmare-team as before and will continue to spread hell and terror in an even more wicked way with more sinful material. One nasty little taster was "The Poison" featured on a compilation album from Wicked World Records, and a blasting cover of the Sepultura hymn "Arise" appeared on the "Sepulchral Feast" tribute album.
In January/February of 1998 THE CROWN hit the road and raised some serious hell together with SACRILEGE featuring Tomas Lindberg (ex-AT THE GATES ). After having seen a show on this European tour a member of the Metal Blade Records-team was very impressed (even after having a beer kicked in his face by singer Johan). And after some conspiracy (with satan) the deal was done between the hellish band and the legendary metal label.
After a busy summer playing festivals plus extremly hard extensive rehearsing and writing of new material THE CROWN was ready for the third album:"Hell Is Here"
The result was 11 ripping new tracks of Death, Darkness, Destruction, Revolution,Violence, Mystery, Satanism, War, Drugs, Armageddon, Sex, Black Magic and Rock´n Roll. To celebrate and promote this musical hell on earth THE CROWN was proud to participate on the NO MERCY TOUR part III and stormed Europe in April 99 together with the Death/Black Metal majesty of MORBID ANGEL, EMPEROR, IMPALED NAZARENE, LIMBONIC ART and PECCATUM. The tour including Wacken Open Air was a huge success with thousands and thousands of people witnessing and getting off to the sheer power of THE CROWN on stage
The 4th album gloriously entitled "Deathrace King" was recorded during winter 99 in the new-built Studio Fredman. The result is a top-notch superfat and modern production to really push the music like a bullet through your soul. This is Death Metal as the ultimate Rock´n Roll Überbeast that laughs and destroys everything in its´ way, - including you! This album sets a new standard to albums in the new millenium as it only and exclusively contains of those precious killer songs without any fillers. The recording session also featured guest vocal performances from Tomas Lindberg (ex-AT THE GATES) and Mika Luttinen (IMPALED NAZARENE), to really kick it in.
During the following year the DEATHRACE 2000 was on. 57 shows of hell-paced death throughout Scandinavia, North America, England and Europe alongside CANNIBAL CORPSE, NILE, KRISIUN, THE HAUNTED, MORBID ANGEL, ENSLAVED & VOMITORY. Blasting away night after night, giving it all as if born to race.
In early 2001 singer Johan Lindstrand decides to leave after 11 years down the line and Tomas Lindberg is recruited as the new singer . After destroying some summer festivals in 2001 their 5th album Crowned In Terror" is recorded, to be released on the 8th of April, 2002. The album is being praised in the media and among other things gets the cover-issue for Metal Maniacs. The band does a full-on blasting headline US tour in the beginning of 2002 together with the road-warrior dudes of DARKEST HOUR. Back in Sweden again, after a show in Stockholm Tomas is kicked out of the band. When told about it he said he wanted to leave anyway. - So it was kind of a mutual descision to end the musical co-operation there. Because there were still some festivals booked in the summer, original vocalist Johan comes up and says he can do it as a favour for the band. So that there will be no cancellations because of the line-up trouble that he started. Those shows went very good, so one hazy night at the bar Marko asks Johan if he wants to be a full-time member again, and the answer was "yes". So THE CROWN is back in original line-up again fall of 2002.
While rehearsing new material. Smaller tours are done in Finland and Italy and a full two-week headlining tour is done all over Europe. And in May 2003 the new album is recorded at Studio Fredman. As it marks the 13th year anniversary of the band and contains 13 songs, the album is appropiately entitled "Possessed 13". On this album THE CROWN sums up all that they are about in one great album. It is a total tribute to all that they have done, filled with brand new riffs next to specially selected and finely matured 13 year old riffs ripped up from the unreleased past and awoken in new deadly fashion. The power is striking. Classic catchy old-school riffs in a whole fresh new way of sound and songmaking. The artwork is also killer, made by locust constructions, responsible for the infamous "Crenom"-design. It is a total hammer horror concept; - white, black and bloodstained! There will also be a black limited edition deluxe version with a bonus disc with 13 previously unreleased demo tracks, (where you can here some of the "Possessed 13" riffs in their original form). The album was firstly announced to some specially invited journalists who got to hear the album on a boat-trip through Trollhättan. And a small teaser was also performed on The 2003 Wacken Open Air festival before ten-thousands of dirty metalheads. "Possessed 13" will be unleashed 20th of October 2003.
