The Princes is an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n rock band. The band was formed in 2009 by Edward Krimm (lead vocals, piano, keyboards) and Jaagup Tormis (drums, percussion, vocals), the grandson of one of the greatest living choral composers

Veljo Tormis Veljo Tormis (7 August 1930 – 21 January 2017) was an Estonian composer, regarded as one of the great contemporary choral composers and one of the most important composers of the 20th century in Estonia.Daitz, Mimi. Ancient Song Recovered: The ...

. The current lineup consists of Edward Krimm, Jaagup Tormis, Kaur Garšnek (guitar) and Valdur Viiklepp (bass guitar, vocals). All the members have a musical background and have taken part in other musical groups as well. Most notably, Jaagup Tormis has played in Sinine and Pedigree, Kaur Garšnek (a son of Igor Garšnek, a keyboardist of one of the foremost Estonian rock group

Ruja Ruja was one of the foremost Estonian rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s. The name of the band comes from a neologism "ruja", for science fiction, though there are people who believe that "ruja" is actually made up of the first letters of the b ...

) has played in Kreatiivmootor. Past members of The Princes have included Taavi Paomets, Kostja Tsõbulevski and Madis Viksi.

Musical style and media coverage of the debut album

The Princes' debut album "Stars" was released digitally as well as in CD format towards the end of 2015. According to the progressive rock music portal Progarchives.com, The Princes, being a crossover prog-rock band, "draws inspiration from a multitude of sources and styles, from

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

, on one hand, to

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

, on the other, while the vocals draw inspiration from romantic era choir music". A major Estonian media outlet,

Eesti Päevaleht ''Eesti Päevaleht'' ''("Estonia Daily")'' is a major daily Estonian newspaper, from the same publishers as the weekly '' Eesti Ekspress''. It has a daily circulation of around 36,000. History and profile ''Eesti Päevaleht'' was founded on 5 Ju ...

, described the band's overall style as being very similar to

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and found the album to be a "strong release".

Estonian Public Broadcasting Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...

review also made also the Queen reference and added influences like

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

and

Farinelli Farinelli (; 24 January 1705 – 16 September 1782) was the stage name of Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi (), a celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera. Farinelli h ...

, but deemed the end result as being too eclectic, perplexing and incoherent. Estonian main culture newspaper

Sirp ''Sirp'' (English 'sickle') is a newspaper published in Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to th ...

reviewed the album and compared the music to Queen,

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

and

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

, compared Edward Krimm's vocal performances to

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...

's, and found the album to be a multi-faceted whole, incorporating powerful rock sound, complicated progressive rock structures and "deconstructed

boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...

", but made a critical comment about the overall sound lacking low end support and high end brilliance. UK indie music portal Forkster reviewed the album and subsequently nominated The Princes for "Band of The Day", compared it to

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

, Dream Theater,

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

, and yet, Queen. Forkster: "An

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

band that is as effective in whole music diversity as any rock band out there today, 'magnificent rock definition' /.../ Masterpiece music exhibitions of rocketing guitar riff mastery, vivid vocal storm phenoms, spectacular piano key shines alongside 'stunning and running' boom rhythm superbs entirely. It has a sensational volume, character and vibe that 'thrills and chills' with diverse genre act inclusions of classic rock splendour, heavy metal/hard rock thunder,

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

trips, hip

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

rides and progressive rock dominance foundations."

Live performances and supporting Queen

The Princes has shared the stage with bands like

Vennaskond Vennaskond ( Estonian for ''Brotherhood'') is an Estonian punk rock band founded in 1984. The band has toured in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Romania, Sweden, Germany, France, India, Poland and the United States (including CBGB). To show respect ...

from Estonia and

Von Hertzen Brothers Von Hertzen Brothers is a Finnish rock group formed in 2000, by three brothers. Their music is a mix of classic rock and progressive elements, folk, punk and contemporary rock. Each of the brothers have a notable history in the Finnish rock sce ...

and

Dingo The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (Basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage of dog found in Australia (continent), Australia. Its taxonomic classification is de ...

from Finland. They have also shared the stage with artists like

Lubomyr Melnyk Lubomyr Melnyk (born December 22, 1948) is a composer and pianist of Ukrainian origin. Melnyk is noted for his ''continuous music'', a piano technique based on extremely rapid notes and complex note-series, usually with the sustain pedal held d ...

Jimi Tenor Jimi Tenor (born Lassi O. T. Lehto, 1965) is a Finnish musician. His artist name is a combination of the first name of his youth idol Jimmy Osmond and the tenor saxophone. His band Jimi Tenor & His Shamans released its first album in 1988, whilst ...

Vaiko Eplik Vaiko Eplik (born 1 August 1981) is an independent Estonian pop-composer, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. Eplik was born in Rapla, Estonia, into a music-loving family. Eplik studied music at the Tallinn Music School, specialising ...

and Ultima Thule. The Princes has performed at

Tallinn Music Week Tallinn Music Week (TMW) is an international new music showcase, city culture festival and networking event for music and creative industry professionals, held every spring in Tallinn, Estonia since 2009. Operated by Tallinn-based company Shiftwo ...

, one of the biggest Baltic showcase festivals, in 2014 as well as in 2016 and in the latter case was declared Tallinn Music Week's "Artist of The Day" by an Estonian media outlet

Postimees ''Postimees'' () is an Estonian daily newspaper established on 5 June 1857, by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. In 1891, it became the first daily newspaper in Estonia. Its current editor-in-chief is Priit Hõbemägi. The paper has approximately 250 ...

. So far, the band's biggest stage performance has been supporting the legendary rock band Queen on the

Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

. On 5 June 2016, The Princes performed as one of the only two warm-up bands for Queen and

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...

concert at

Tallinn Song Festival Grounds The Tallinn Song Festival Grounds ( et, Lauluväljak) are the grounds on which the Estonian Song Festival is held every five years. History of song festivals In 1869 Johann Voldemar Jannsen established the Estonian Song Festival while the natio ...

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

, Estonia, the other warm-up group being Electric Pyramid from UK. This was the only Queen concert in the

Baltic region The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...

, the first Queen concert in Estonia, and was attended by tens of thousands of people. Following the event, Eesti Päevaleht described The Princes' approach as "theatrical indie-prog, conceptually not dissimilar to Queen". Internet music magazine Reflections of Darkness covered the concert as well and said The Princes to be "The most promising new band from Estonia /.../ ndEdward Krimm with his special charisma shines on the stage".

Discography

Singles and EPs *''Birth'' (2011) *''Out of the Closet'' (2011) *''Money ''(2013) *''I Want to Be Famous ''(2015) *''Ready to Go ''(2017) *''Polarity ''(2017) Studio albums *''Stars'' (2015)

References

External links

Official website

The Princes Facebook

The Princes Bandcamp
* http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=9724 * http://www.forksterocks.net/bands-of-the-day-for-november-4th-2015-bring-rock-class/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Princes Estonian rock music groups Estonian progressive rock groups 2009 establishments in Estonia Estonian musical quartets Musical groups established in 2009