Search - Crystal Eyes :: Confessions of the Maker

A standout

Old Ancestor | The Swamp | 04/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sure fans of speed and power metal are familiar with this experience: You take a chance on a band (or at least listen to a sound sample). The first song begins. Great riffs, awesome drumming, booming production... and then the vocals kick in. Ugh. Another promising release ruined by wretched, shrill, whiney, barely-in-pitch "singing."



Well, if you haven't yet heard Dan Heiman, the vocalist on this CD (but not on previous Crystal Eyes releases), you are missing out. This guy is an astoundingly good singer. I've listened to piles and piles of speed and power metal music over the years. Trust me: The vocals on this disk are amongst the best I've ever heard.



Let's give some credit to the rest of the band as well. The music is super tight, melodic, and "in-the-pocket," meaning that the musicians really know how to hit the sweet spots. They avoid the temptation to just blast away and actually put some thought into the arrangements. Although they don't really sound like Edguy, I think the approach is the same: The song comes first (rather than trying to showcase chops), and there is a saturation of melody.



So, yeah, it's pretty good.





"

!!! EXCELLENT SPEED METAL FROM VIKINGLAND !!!

METAL ERCUS | North Royalton, Ohio USA | 10/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"EXCELLENT METAL - KILLER VOICE - GREAT ALBUM !!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ALL METALHEADS !!!"