| 1.)
Lady of Winter 4:00 This is the
beginning of something that will turn from just average to great in a matter of a couple
of songs. The sharply biting guitar riffs, booming bass and vocals that are the
ideal of vocal perfection, sums up this song. The highly addictive bridge and chorus
are also high points, and give this song a more mainstream appeal than some of the others
on here. A great opening track that stirs up interest in what's to come. |
| 2.) Red
Sharks 4:52 After hearing the first
song, this one is a bit of a letdown. It is decent enough, but just ranks in as
being an average pounding metal tune, that is a bit outdated for this time period, and is
the only song that shows its age. Actually if some other band had released this, it
would be considered better than what it is, but with the band Crimson Glory, I only expect
greatness. |
| 3.) Painted
Skies 5:16 And this is the first
example of what the band can REALLY do, in an uplifting and emotional sense.
Opening with softly lapping acoustic, as crystal sounding as falling raindrops, and the
lushly delivered vocals, sang by the wonderful Midnight. The lyrics just add to the
sadness but even in the most sorrowful state of mind...there is always hope. This
song is intriguing, and makes me wonder, that if you paint your own skies, and can spread
your wings and fly in them, but are you truly free or is this feeling of freedom just an
illusion created by the one taking flight? |
| 4.)
Masque of the Red Death 4:15 Excellence
is followed by a song that I consider to be above average (for this band anyway) but
still not maintaining that same standard they opened with and then followed up the worst
song on the disc with. Jon Drenning's unique guitar riffs are the true driving force
of this song, and makes it to be quite an enjoyable tune. |
| 5.) In
Dark Places 7:03 This is the second song on
here that unleashes Crimson Glory's true greatness. Its haunting beauty sends chills
up the spine and shivers down it. The frightening pictures brilliantly painted by
the expressive vocals of Midnight who gives the song its errieness in his vocal delivery
and the method he uses to weave and twist the lyrics around the sounds of his voice.
The music tangles around it, from a very dramatic pumping, to the enchanting solo
that grips the heart and the mind of the listener. This song will drag you through
the deepest and darkest of emotions...the dark places. The acoustic that is peppered
through the end of the song near its ending, adds to the mystical and haunting overall
feel of this song. Even though its the longest song on the cd, its not noticable and
seems to end too soon, leaving you wanting more. |
| 6.)
Where Dragons Rule 5:07 Drums from
the age of ominious thunder, pounds out the opening rhythm beautifully, and then a quite
twisted guitar riff takes over the spotlight, only to be dragged out of the light and
replaced by the voice for Crimson Glory. Its opening hints of this song being
another rather average CG tune, but the booming vocal legions that explode here and there,
and especially during the main chorus, start to prove that the first idea about it is
false. Mission: KILL. |
| 7.)
Lonely 5:18 To me, this is
the highlight of the cd, a song about the loneliness and the pain of love. The
emotion pouring out of the music is heartbreaking, every note seems to be drowned in
sorrow, especially at the start of the song, and even when it picks up to an uplifting
sound it still keeps this sad tone, that just breaks the heart. The lyrics are
gorgeous and the vocal deliver by Midnight is......its.....breathtaking. The first
time I heard this, I was encaptured in the spell of the music. The overall sound has
a certain purity about it, and the guitar solo is one of the most beautiful I have ever
heard, the crystally clean notes cascading down winding that empty soulful feeling to its
strongest point. The final verse seems to hint at hope, to an end to this sorrow,
but the guitar that closes it out seems to contradict the lyrics. This is
excellence, and one of the greatest songs ever. Period. |
| 8.) Burning
Bridges 6:32 Instead of
lifting us back up with a pounding song, the band does the opposite and drags the listener
even further down in the void of eternal sadness, with this misery filled tune, this time
the focus is on the depression of lost love and the fear of being hurt again. CG are
masters at painting pictures with their music and lyrics, and as soon as the guitar solo
at the beginning takes flight, your heart will be broken into pieces and trampled upon.
Midnight conveys each feeling with such passion, his vocals always lush with
passion, exploding into emotion with each word, and instills each feeling into the deepest
parts of the soul. The way this song is composed is just BRILLIANT, and I truly mean
that with every fiber of my soul. From the first time I heard this song I was
absolutely enchanting. The way the violin is used during the middle of the song, as
he continues to deny his feelings and the bridges began to break through, then all is
interrupted with another guitar solo, that battles for the spotlight with the drums, the
violins moving in and out of the background, rising and falling with the music. And
the sound continues to build, as the inner emotions are contemplated further, and soon
realized, and as they are stated..the sound builds and then all is relvealed...and it
ends...This song is up there with Lonely in the greatest of all time listings...and if
there are no tears lurking in your eyes by the time the last note quickly fades away into
the distance, then you have a heart of stone. I would think anyone would be highly
effected by this song emotionally. |
| 9.)
Eternal World 3:54 This is a high energy
song focusing on an onslaught of sound and the typical speed drums of thunder that was so
popular later on in a form of metal. The lyrics are sheerly frightening, and the
song is composed in the middle during the most disturbing lyrics of the song, and then
shattered with a piercing scream is so cool, which breaks out into a thundering drum
rhythm and a blistering guitar solo. The too fast to headbang to sound is cool too,
and the chanting screams of "Eternaaal worrrrlddd..." set the pace for a high
speed finish. |
| 10.) Transcendence
4:34 A very metallic
opening suggests that this song will end this cd in a fantastic, killer finish, but turns
into something even more memorable, an acoustically driven tune, focusing on the almost
Robert Plant-ish vocals and maintaining a reflectively wonderous mood, the highlight being
when the sharply striking electric notes pierce the lulling haunting musical web. The
electric creates an all new mood of its own, and keeps the song's relaxing pace that has a
silent urgency buried in its inner beauty. A memorable song to end a truly wonderous
cd. |
