EMQs With Kingcrown
Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with French Melodic Heavy Power Metal band, Kingcrown. Huge thanks to their Drummer, David Amore, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
I’m David AMORE, drummer and co-founder of the band. The band was formed in 2014 when Jo and I left our former band NIGHTMARE.
We made an album and DVD called “Resilience”, under the name Öblivïon, then we changed our name. Kingcrown’s first album was called “A Perfect World”, then we changed line up for different reasons. What came out was “Wake Up Call” in 2022 and finally “Nova Atlantis” in november 2024 via Rockshots Records.
How did you come up with your band name?
It was a long search, there are so many bands that it is difficult to find an original name, which is why we chose by mutual agreement the king’s crown but with a particular spelling.
We needed something strong, a king, a crown, this opened up a lot of possibilities and a well-targeted image for the band.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are a French band with very German or Scandinavian Power-Metal influences, I am myself a fan of UDO, Hammerfall, Helloween etc…
We are all very far from each other, Jo, my brother, the singer is in Cannes on the French Riviera, Bob, Ced the guitarists and Seb the bassist are from Marseille, and I from Dijon (the city of famous mustard). We work remotely a lot but have found efficient ways to work, which means that we almost never rehearse all together. This imposes a certain rigor on us and requires us to all communicate by video.
The result is quite effective and we all enjoy getting together to play together during our concerts.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest album is called “Nova Atlantis”, it was released in November 2024 on CD and Vinyl. We have “Wake Up Call” then “A Perfect World”.
And “Resilience” under the nameÖblivïon.
I find the evolution and progression interesting when you listen to each of these albums, it is obvious that we were looking for ourselves at the start and little by little, we took a path towards a Power-Metal that suits us well.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Definitely a mix between Iron Maiden, Helloween, Hammerfall. a very Heavy-Metal, Melodic side, with a slightly joyful side, what matters to us is to make our audience sing and move their heads.
What first got you into music?
Music has always been present in my family. My father was already an excellent singer, my mother loved listening to music, and my sisters sing. I couldn’t imagine living without music.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
The bands that made me dream when I was young were Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Accept. Today there are so many groups I would like to tour with…
I’m particularly a fan of Hammerfall, of UDO, or bands like Beast In Black, Dynasty and certainly many others.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
I have already played several times at Hellfest, at Wacken Open Air, but I admit that I would go back. But without forgetting the other festivals, in Belgium, in Switzerland.
The dream would be Japan, Australia and of course the USA, although I already played there a long time ago, with my ex band Nightmare at the Metal Metaldown New Jersey Festival in 2002, and also the 70000Tons of Metal Cruise !!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Weird, I don’t know, I only received pretty gifts or very nice gestures like cakes, pizzas etc. Not to mention strong alcohol that a fan brings us to each concert. The greatest gift is when people want to see us at the end of the concerts, especially those who didn’t know us before.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
My message would be a simple message of friendship, never forget the importance of family, friends, time passes quickly, and music and metal is often an excellent therapy against the difficulties of life.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Without thinking, Ronnie James Dio, no doubt !!
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Already playing in the same band as my brother is indescribable. There are also friendly testimonies from the public. Seeing people singing our songs. It’s a collection of beautiful things that we can no longer do without.
What I hate, but which is no one’s fault, is the difficulty of paying all that it costs us. Unfortunately, we sometimes have to refuse to play because it is too far away and the costs are much too high. It is an immense sadness to have to refuse.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
It’s not really in the music industry that I would change things, but rather in the internet system. Today it’s easier to find concerts if you have views on social networks, but that doesn’t mean a band is good. It’s truly incredible and sometimes disappointing.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Iron Maiden – “Somewhere In Time”
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
There is a big comeback for vinyl, but I can understand that today it is easier to download and have music on your phone. But for me, I like to have CDs or vinyls of albums that I like. One does not preclude the other. Today I regret not having kept my cassettes of Powerslave or Metalheart etc.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
I’m going to have a hard time answering, each concert has its own atmosphere, it’s very pleasant to play in big festivals, but it’s also very nice to play in small concert halls to be closer to people.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I was a rugby player for a while, as a teenager. But I admit that I don’t really have any other passion that can replace what I experience with music, whether as a musician or by going to see other bands in concert.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
It depends if they are relatives or rockstars. For Rockstars, it would be Ozzy Osbourne, Tommy Lee, Lita Ford, Gene Simmons, and of course, the drummer who was my example: Nicko Mc Brain, who has just retired.
What’s next for the band?
We hope that our new album “Nova Atlantis” will please, and that it will allow us to do a lot of concerts. Then certainly we will work on new songs. Which we love to do, as long as the public supports us.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll, or a Tea Cake?
A Barm? Sorry I didn’t know before so I found it on the internet!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I would already like to thank you for this interview and thank all those who come to see us, those who are, like me, passionate and who come to major festivals as well as small concerts, because there are sometimes very nice surprises among bands little known.
