Review: Mace âNâ Chain âCrowned In Grey Skiesâ
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)
5â7 minutes
Gage J. Tolin
MACE âNâ 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 âAmong Ancient Pillarsâ 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.
âWe are very proud to finally unveil âCrowned in Grey Skiesâ, an album that showcases a wider array of influences than its predecessor, yet still feels like a very natural continuation of MaceânâChainâs 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.â â David Nilsson, MaceânâChain
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 â Acoustic and electric guitar, 4- and 8-string bass, acoustic bass, vocals.
Joey Mancaruso â Drums.
Guest guitar solos by Tucker Thomasson, Shon Vincent, Matte Marklund, Jeffrey Young, Markus Lindahl.
Review
âOn the Howling Galeâ 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. Nilssonâs 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!
âThrough Blood Red Veilsâ 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 âreplaying the hitsâ. This one had a real Sabbath vibe with the overall groove to it, but the vocals reminded me a lot of Canadaâs 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 chefâs 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 âElectric Funeralâ (which is my favorite Ozzy-era Sabbath tune).
âIn Open Defianceâ 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.
âTriumphant Returnâ had a riff that I could best describe as âAccept-likeâ, 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 âepicâ 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
âThe Spine of Nightâ opened with a sizzling 8-string bass intro that made me recall the Running Wild classic âConquistadoresâ, 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 Mancarusoâs drums were crashing down with such fury that itâd shake the venue in a live setting, and thatâs 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.
âWrithe, Oh Wyrmâ kicked off with a banger of a drumroll before flowing nicely into a sweet âHoly Diverâ 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.
âThe Portal of Powerâ 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 Nilssonâs vocal never once lost their melodic qualities, even when he threw in the occasional scream or growl.
âRisen Above the Lightâ was the longest track on the album, at just over 7 minutes, and had a more epic doom opening Ă la Smoulder. This was one of those tracks where itâs hard for me to put it into words. Itâs like an onion, or an ogre, itâs 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 ânâ Chainâs 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 âdeath metal guy plays tradâ sort of niche, and that was what it was going for, âCrowned in Grey Skiesâ 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 ânâ Chainâs 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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