CRIMSON DAWN
CRIMSON DAWN - “It Came from the Stars / The Open Coffin”
By Dark Starr
This is a double CD set, but it is basically a single CD with a bonus EP included. The second disc is not listed on the spine, and the song titles aren't included on the back of the CD package. That said, the booklet is basically a dual booklet. If you flip it upside down, it's the booklet for the other CD.
Still, these discs aren't labeled as first and second, but I'm assuming the main one (“It Came from the Stars”) is CD one and the bonus EP (“The Open Coffin”) is the second. Now, it should also be mentioned that from what I can tell the last two tracks on that second disc have been reversed from their order when it was originally released.
The music of this act is definitely metal, but in terms of subgenre, it varies. There are elements of NWOBHM, doom, epic metal, Gothic metal and more present here. This all works really well. At least two of the songs have literary roots (Poe and Lovecraft), and there is really a dark, horror type lyrical tone to much of this. All in all, I like this a lot. The main disc is the stronger one, but the second has some definite highlights, and it is a bonus, really.
The “It Came from the Stars” disc starts with an instrumental that feels like it could be part of a soundtrack to horror movie. That piece is called "Prospero’s Castle," and it features symphonic, dramatic, spooky music. Once we're past that point, metal rules the disc, though.
Among the highlights of the first disc are the two songs based on the works of horror writers. The first is "The Masque Of Red Death" which comes in the second slot on the set. This Poe-based song pounds in heavy, slow moving and powerful. It's a driving cut that works so well. It is a great tune that combines doom metal with something more Gothic. There are also some power and epic metal leanings built into this thing. There are some intriguing changes along the road on this, and some keyboards lend some interesting touches. The guitar solo is both fiery and melodic.
The other literary horror based song is the closer, "The Colour Out Of Space." Echoey trippy sounds open it. It builds gradually with some non-metal guitar. Around a minute-and-forty-five-seconds in, this screams upward with pure metal at its heart. This Lovecraft-based song is fierce and so strong. It's the longest piece here at more than seven-and-a-half minutes long. I'm reminded a little of KING DIAMOND on this for some reason. This is epic in scope and really rocks. After a peak, the echoey stuff returns around the four-and-a-half-minute mark. Vocals come over the top, bringing a trippy kind of suitably otherworldly vibe to the piece. They bring us back to fierce metal after a time to take the song and album out.
Other highlights on the first disc include "Hunter's Dream." More of a slow NWOBHM concept gets it going. The track drops to a mellower section and has some dramatic elements at play. They bring the real steel to bear here, but then turn it to a mellower, chorale-based section for a powerful twist later. This cut keeps evolving and changing. It includes a duet with a female singer further down the road. It is epic in scope, and just so strong.
A driving NWOBHM vibe gets us going on "Solace In Death." There are definite symphonic epic elements at play here, particularly on the choruses. It is another powerhouse on an album full of strong music. A keyboard solo section is an unusual, but effective choice. It's just another killer song on a disc full of great music. I just chose a few songs to showcase, but overall just about any song on the first disc qualifies as a highlight. That's how strong the album is.
“The Open Coffin” gets the second disc underway. Starting with some keyboard-based music that is almost proggy, it turns to driving metal as a killer riff rises upward. This is a powerhouse that has a definite epic metal vibe to it. This song is about a vampire. The guitar solo section later is absolutely on fire. It's energized and features smoking hot playing.
The second song on that disc is a big surprise. It's "Nowhere Man," and yes, it is a cover of THE BEATLES song. It comes in acapella. They turn the track into a doomy metal excursion. As strange as it is, this dirge-like arrangement works really well. They fire up into more powerhouse metal jamming later in the piece. We get some keyboard theatrics before it slows down a little, and melodic guitar solos over the top. They continue in that slower motif, which is a reprise of the earlier sections, for the rest of the track.
Beyond that, we get more killer metal. It's all effective, and much like the first disc, just about anything here would qualify as a highlight. There is one demo included, but it doesn't really sound like a demo. It's really a testament to the strength of this band that everything on these two discs is a strong as it is.