Review: Mace ‘N’ Chain “Crowned In Grey Skies”
Release date: 26th June 2026
Label: High Roller (Germany), SoundWorks/Season of Mist (France), Sound Pollution (Sweden), Plastic Head (UK and rest of Europe), Silent Future Distribution (North America)
5–7 minutes
Gage J. Tolin
MACE ‘N’ CHAIN was formed in Sweden at the end of 2020 by David Nilsson (singer of Swedish death metal band Feral) to pay homage to the genre that originally got him into metal in the first place: true, sword-wielding, heavy metal! The debut album “Among Ancient Pillars” was released by No Remorse Records in 2023 with David Nilsson writing and performing all the music. Now, joined by drummer Joey Mancaruso (Fortress, Gravesword, Barren Cross), Nilsson presents the sophomore album, which is highly recommended for fans of Eternal Champion, Manilla Road, Ironsword, and Manowar.
“We are very proud to finally unveil ‘Crowned in Grey Skies’, an album that showcases a wider array of influences than its predecessor, yet still feels like a very natural continuation of Mace’n’Chain’s sound. The songs are both faster and slower than any I have previously put out, and the addition of Joey on the drums this time around has really put the finishing touch on everything.” – David Nilsson, Mace’n’Chain
All music and lyrics by David Nilsson. Recorded in Pagan Hell Studios, Sweden. Drums recorded by Tucker Thomasson at Megadungeon Recording, Bloomfield, Indiana, United States. Mixed by Petter Nilsson at Sonner Sound, Gothenburg, Sweden. Mastered by Arthur Rizk. Artwork and logo by Bram Bruyneel.
LINE-UP
David Nilsson – Acoustic and electric guitar, 4- and 8-string bass, acoustic bass, vocals.
Joey Mancaruso – Drums.
Guest guitar solos by Tucker Thomasson, Shon Vincent, Matte Marklund, Jeffrey Young, Markus Lindahl.
Review
“On the Howling Gale” appropriately featured a brief bit of rainy ambiance, before the riff practically took on the form of a raging tempest itself. Some seriously maniacal stuff, worthy of recognition in the annals of metaldom. In fact, this one was chock full of diabolical instrumentation that all had just the right amount of polish behind them, keeping the rawness that I like in my metal. Nilsson’s vocals are on the Manilla Road side of things and they work so damn well with the music. This was an incredible way to kick off the record!
“Through Blood Red Veils” featured yet another banger of a riff that felt fresh and yet familiar. A breath of fresh air for a genre that can too often fall prey to ‘replaying the hits’. This one had a real Sabbath vibe with the overall groove to it, but the vocals reminded me a lot of Canada’s Gatekeeper (particularly their sophomore full-length with Tyler Anderson on vox). Ooh, the guitar solo being injected with just a touch of Eastern flair was the chef’s kiss. The breakdown near the final third of the track where things get sped up to a great degree featured some killer drumming, and again reminded me of Sabbath songs like ‘Electric Funeral’ (which is my favorite Ozzy-era Sabbath tune).
“In Open Defiance” took a more thrashy approach, with much of the track being played in a frenzied manner. Though it never felt disorganized, and the vocals continued to be a refreshing mix of styles (with even some growls thrown in there). The awesome sequence near the 3 minute mark reminded me a lot of Gregorian chanting and medieval music, or at least the music from medieval fantasy video games. The growls I mentioned before really give this one an identity all its own.
“Triumphant Return” had a riff that I could best describe as ‘Accept-like’, though with the heaviness kicked up a notch. For the most part, that grooving riff persists throughout the majority of the track, never once growing stale or overdone. Vocally, it felt as though Nilsson had injected a little bit more ‘epic’ into his delivery in this one, as that part of the song reminded me a bit of Fer De Lance.
https://youtu.be/Bt_4iNbm_5c?si=OuVQaYL9OqOsHH8L
“The Spine of Night” opened with a sizzling 8-string bass intro that made me recall the Running Wild classic ‘Conquistadores’, before a brief spoken portion that was most likely a sample from a movie (but not one I immediately recognized) to add to the ambiance. All throughout this one the Mancaruso’s drums were crashing down with such fury that it’d shake the venue in a live setting, and that’s not even getting into the bass and the riffing. However, I will take a moment to applaud the incredible solo, and the riff that came after. Furthermore, this one was all-killer and no-filler from beginning to end.
“Writhe, Oh Wyrm” kicked off with a banger of a drumroll before flowing nicely into a sweet ‘Holy Diver’ esque riff. The delivery on the chorus had such venom and power behind it that you could really feel the hatred the narrator has for the titular wyrm. Nilsson gets a huge belter of a scream in there too, that felt perfectly pained and almost triumphant. This was incredible, I loved the repetition of the chorus throughout, like you really wanted the wyrm to be in serious pain. Good stuff, reminded me of old Conan stories.
“The Portal of Power” had a slower, and more acoustic, opening with some subdued guitar work and the occasional background vocalization. That was all quickly evaporated, or disintegrated, by the furious onslaught that came after. Everything was on full speed ahead from then on, my legs got tired just listening to the insane drumming from Mancaruso on display. Though I did seriously appreciate that Nilsson’s vocal never once lost their melodic qualities, even when he threw in the occasional scream or growl.
“Risen Above the Light” was the longest track on the album, at just over 7 minutes, and had a more epic doom opening à la Smoulder. This was one of those tracks where it’s hard for me to put it into words. It’s like an onion, or an ogre, it’s got so many layers. I do have to shoutout the gorgeous guitar solo a little before the 5 minute mark though, because my god was that special. The slower pace really does a lot for this one as well, making each chord strike just a bit harder and every lyric more poignant.
Conclusion
Mace ‘n’ Chain’s sophomore effort both improves and refines everything from their debut release, which was already incredibly strong (It was one of my favorites of 2023). While their first record may have had that sort of “death metal guy plays trad” sort of niche, and that was what it was going for, “Crowned in Grey Skies” feels a lot more like both a natural evolution of the style set-up on that debut, and more of what Nilsson envisioned from the onset. Mace ‘n’ Chain’s second album joins the ranks as another strong release in an already overflowing year.
TheNwothm Score: 9.5/10
Links
Bandcamp: https://macenchain.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/macenchain
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mace_n_chain
Label: https://www.noremorse.gr/
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