EMQs With Kingcrown
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with French Power Metallers, KINGCROWN. Huge thanks to their guitarist, Ced, 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?
Hi there, and thanks for taking the time for this interview! I’m Ced, one of the band’s guitarists. It all started in 2018 when the Amore brothers—Jo and David—left their long-standing band, Nightmare. They decided to launch a new project called Öbliviön with musicians from their circle. They released a debut album, *Resilience*, which was quite well-received by the public. Shortly after, due to legal and trademark issues—since an American band already held the name—the project was rebranded as KingCrown, marking the birth of the final iteration of the band. Next came the album *A Perfect World*, which unfortunately couldn’t be promoted on stage because we were in the midst of the COVID pandemic, with all the resulting setbacks for the live music scene. It wasn’t until June 2021—following the departure of three former members—that Bob Saliba (guitar), Seb Chabot (bass), and I joined the project. We helped stabilize the style and the lineup, shaping the band’s story as it stands today, culminating three months later in the release of our “rebirth” album: *Wake Up Call*.
How did you come up with your band name?
Personally, I arrived too late to have a say in the name (laughs), but honestly, I think it’s a great choice—the sound fits the style perfectly, combining power and solidity while practically begging to be chanted live. It’s a two-syllable name that makes total sense for the style we’ve been playing and refining for over five years now. And I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what the Amore brothers were looking for when they were searching for the right sound.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We’re all from the south of France—the place where the cicadas sing with the same lilt as our accents (laughs). Bob and I live on the outskirts of Marseille in small seaside towns—Cassis and Fos-sur-Mer—while Seb is in Marseille itself. Jo is near Cannes, just two hours away, and David is currently the only expat, living near Dijon (the mustard city (laughs). As for the metal scene in the region—let’s be honest—metal doesn’t exactly have universal appeal in our country, especially the power metal we play. Despite a host of excellent bands that remain unfairly unknown to the general public, metal isn’t a widely recognized genre here. I’d go so far as to say that more extreme styles—like death metal or anything ending in “-core” (that whole array of so-called “modern” metal directly descended from nu-metal)—are far more prevalent and appeal more to the younger generation. Only the old-school die-hards who’ve been fans since the 80s remain interested in this style and keep their love for traditional metal alive. Unfortunately, this contributes to metal’s waning popularity in a country where the mainstream musical landscape—what we call *variété française*—is incredibly insipid and grotesque. It suffers from such a lack of style, diversity, and compositional quality that we can hardly hope for any improvement in the coming decades (laughs). That’s why we tour more in other European countries—particularly German-speaking ones—where metal still commands the respect it deserves.
What is your latest release?
We are getting ready to release our new album, *Moonfall*, on September 4th, via Rockshots records, and our third single, “We Are KingCrown,” is coming very soon. The first single was “Lost Horizon,” released on June 1st, followed by the second, “Nothing,” in July—all taken from this new album.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Personally, I’m a huge Iron Maiden fan; it’s thanks to them—and specifically Dave Murray—that I became the guitarist I am today. Heavy metal has always been my genre of choice, even though I’ve taken an interest in a vast array of styles. I also cut my teeth playing the music of a legendary band I’ve loved since childhood: Dire Straits. Mark Knopfler is one of my heroes and guitar idols—someone whose playing style helped shape my own. I won’t list every single heavy metal band that defined my teenage years, but the obvious ones include the Helloween/Gamma Ray duo, Metallica, Megadeth, HammerFall, Stratovarius, Symphony X, King Diamond, Nightwish, Nightmare, and Blind Guardian. I’ll also throw in some more extreme bands like Fear Factory, Finntroll, Morbid Angel, Testament, Sepultura, Annihilator, Dimmu Borgir, and Cannibal Corpse—but I’ll stop there, because the list is endless!
What first got you into music?
What kicked it all off… Well, it started when I was 13. I was doing drama in middle school, and a buddy showed up with his headphones—a cassette Walkman, I should clarify for the younger crowd (laughs)—and I asked him, as casually as possible, what he was listening to. He told me it was the latest Metallica record (we’re talking about the *Black Album*), and I asked to have a listen. *Enter Sandman* hit me like a ton of bricks—it was the first time I’d ever been truly blown away by music. I wore that tape out from listening to it so much. But the second massive shock—the one that felt like getting whacked over the head—was when another friend said, “Oh, you like Metallica? Hang on, I’m gonna let you hear something even better!” The idiot played me Maiden’s *Fear of the Dark*… That was it—I was hooked. I became a devotee, a lover, a fan—call it whatever you want! The idea of taking up the guitar kept nagging at me, and that’s when another friend—who’d been playing for years and had started his own rock band covering Nirvana, Téléphone, and Guns N’ Roses—let me sit in on a rehearsal. That made up my mind: I wanted my own band! By the time I was 15, I’d started “The Black Angels” (laughs)—you know, that classic, scrappy little garage band you start out with!
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
There are so many… I couldn’t possibly list them all… I truly believe it’s every musician’s dream to collaborate with legends; for my part—specifically with KingCrown—opening for bands like Iron Maiden, Scorpions, or Judas Priest would be a real career milestone. On a more modest level, sharing the stage with friends—whether we’ve played together before or not—such as Crystal Throne, Revenge, Spirit War, ADX, Nightmare, and so many others, would be a real pleasure; after all, it’s always great to help and support one another within the same scene and shared ambition.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
I’ll name three that have been on my radar for a while—and this gives me a chance to voice a grievance and back up what I was saying earlier about the French metal scene: Hellfest (France), Motocultor (France), and Wacken (Germany). Why these three? Because they are among the biggest European festivals, drawing massive crowds of fans over several days, and playing them would obviously be a career milestone for me. And I’m going to speak my mind here—even if I don’t make any friends doing it, though you’ve probably gathered by now that I don’t mince words: I find it a shame—downright regrettable, actually—that the two biggest French festivals (or at least their bookers) don’t take more of an interest in French bands. We are teeming with gems in this genre that are every bit as good as the biggest headliners out there. Sure, I’m biased, but I genuinely believe they ought to pay attention to the top-tier talent within the local scene. Again, I won’t list them all, but we have a scene that is rich, diverse, and talented enough to deserve a spot on those festival stages. Instead of looking to non-metal genres just to add variety to the lineup, they’d be better off digging deeper into these unfairly overlooked bands to flesh out their bills—just a thought…
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
If we’re talking about my entire career, I’ve had women’s underwear thrown at me on stage (laughs), a half-finished beer, an illegible phone number from a girl, and I’ve even signed another band’s setlist—and that’s about it, I think… That’s actually quite a lot (laughs). I should point out, though, that none of that happened with KingCrown.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
That they are invaluable? That without them, we wouldn’t be who we are today? Their unwavering support means the world to us—it is the most important thing, and something that should never be underestimated. It might not seem like much on the surface, but we need it; it’s what gives us our energy. We want to honor them, bring them joy, put smiles on their faces, and give them wonderful things. It might sound silly put that way, but I have no other words to express the depth of my gratitude toward them.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Without a doubt, our dearly missed Ronnie James Dio… Of course, I have others in mind too, but the man is *our* icon, our pillar, our history… I could obviously have mentioned Ozzy or Lemmy as well—who hold the same importance for me—but I just hope we are carrying on their legacy as it should be.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Being a musician brings me the joy of making people happy… To tell you a bit of my story: as a child and teenager, I was frequently mocked and rejected. I endured what we now call school bullying, and not a day went by without me coming home battered—both physically and psychologically… I was very lonely and misunderstood, but the bands I listened to—Iron Maiden, for instance—gave me the positivity to move forward, to forget the pain, and to rise above it; they gave me joy and courage. I tell myself now that if our music can help people in that same situation, I’d be incredibly happy… Spreading the legacy and bringing a childhood dream to life is also something extraordinary—even though I haven’t quite reached my ultimate goal yet: having KingCrown cheered on from a stage in front of thousands upon thousands of people (laughs). I’d also say that being together—like a family—sharing amazing moments, laughing, goofing around, all those times on tour, everything we share, all those little details of life together… they’re all precious… On the other hand, what I hate is the logistics: setting up and tearing down gear, backstage prep, packing up, and all that stuff… Damn, where are our roadies? (laughs)
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Social media, without a doubt!! I feel like they’ve killed music and the music industry… Nowadays, you have to be an influencer with thousands of views and followers for people to take an interest in what you do beyond the music itself… I hate this era for that reason.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Wow, do you realize what a tough question that is? (laughs) Hmm… if I had to pick just one, I’d say Iron Maiden’s *Somewhere in Time*.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I’m an 80s kid—so, naturally, it’s all about cassette tapes! There are no better memories than buying blank tapes to record your favorite albums on your old teenage stereo (laughs) and walking around—and I mean *everywhere*—with your Walkman and orange headphones (laughs). I even used to hand-draw the fonts and titles from the original album covers onto the cassette inserts; we had such a blast back then!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
There have been many, but I’ll mention the time last year in Tours/France, when we played the entire *Nova Atlantis* album with a symphony orchestra—Benjamin Garzia’s Mahlerian Camerata. Performing alongside so many experienced and talented musicians, 40 in fact, was a real challenge, and we were the first French metal band to take on such a project; we were warmly acclaimed by an audience that, for the most part, wasn’t a metal crowd, and that’s extraordinary.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
It would simply be exactly the same as it is today, yet different… Making a living solely from music these days is absolutely impossible… I’d have the same job, the same hobbies, the same family… But I can’t picture my life without music at all—I couldn’t tell you; for me, it’s simply inconceivable.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Haha !
-Marc Knopfler
-Dave Murray
-Jean Réno (French Actor)
-Coluche (French stand up comedian)
-Daniel Balavoine (French Singer)
What’s next for the band?
There are plenty of surprises in store for 2027 that I can’t reveal just yet… To start with, the release of *Moonfall* on September 4th and two dates in Italy in January 2027… As for the rest, you’ll have to stay tuned and keep an eye out for everything we’re getting ready to announce (laughs).
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
– https://linktr.ee/kingcrown_off
– https://kingcrownmgtm.wixsite.com/kingcrownofficial
– https://www.facebook.com/kingcrownmetal/
– https://www.instagram.com/kingcrown_off/
– https://www.youtube.com/KINGCROWNTV
– https://www.tiktok.com/@kingcrown_off
– https://kingcrownofficial.bandcamp.com
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?
I’m a huge hamburger fan—I’d have to say the bun? Please don’t hit me… (laughs)
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I’m the one who should be thanking you for this interview! I want to emphasize something crucial: your support is invaluable, and we really need it to keep moving forward!
Thank you all—our fans—and I encourage others to discover Moonfall!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.