Crimson Cult - Tales Of Doom

Power Metal
Pure Steel Records

2012

1. State Of Fear
2. Behind The Curtain
3. Institution Christ
4. Coshinja
5. The Long Way Home
6. Warrior Son
7. On The Edge
8. Second Life
9. Crimson Empire
10. The Inquisition (Gary Moore cover/Instrumental)

Crimson Cult were a nice surprise for me with their debut in 2009. Always good to hear new blood come out with a strong debut and this band had a pretty well put together and original power metal sound. This is definitely a follow up I was waiting for.

Well, what Crimson Cult started with their debut they pretty much continue here. What this band brings to the table is a great no frills power sound grounded in traditional, while also sounding unique, and even haunting at times. Tales Of Doom just has a nice edge to it without the more melodic power metal sound that seems to be more in style at the moment. Not to say this doesn't have good melodies or atmosphere, but there is a certain raw heaviness and emotion to this. Tales Of Doom can get slower at times, but it always approaches the material in a very powerful and seemingly genuine way. There's just an energy to the material here that I find completely refreshing. Even when the band slows down a bit there's a great dark, heaviness to the atmospheric moments and it's in these moments that you can feel the band also has a bit of a doom metal influence. Think of bands like Tad Morose or Morgana Lefay. Also worth noting in terms of the bands slower moments is the extremely well done ballad On The Edge which further shows off the band's versatility. Tales Of Doom is one of those albums that I find hard to pick out highlights on simply because everything stands on it's own rather well.

Basically, Crimson Cult manages to sound really metal and kind of raw in the best sort of way. At this point I'd count Crimson Cult as one of the more promising bands in power metal and they have a great way of coming across tight without being overly polished in sound/production. I would highly recommend this to fans of bands like Tad Morose, Jag Panzer, Morgana Lefay, or Seven Witches back when they were good.

Highlights: Behind The Curtain, State Of Fear, The Long Way Home, Warrior Son, On The Edge

Rating - 4.0/5

Crimson Cult - Crimson Cult

Power Metal
Dockyard 1

2009

1. Evil Design
2. Undead
3. Land Of The Crimson Night
4. In The Eyes
5. Lava Machine
6. Dirty Demons
7. Misanthrope
8. 2000 Lights
9. Amok
10. Centre of the Universe

A new band formed out of the ashes of Stygma IV, this self titled album marks the first release from Crimson Cult. Stygma IV were a pretty decent power metal band so I was curious what the guitarist & bassist of the band were up to in this one.

Crimson Cult's first album brings together a fairly unique sound as I had some trouble coming up with comparisons that seemed accurate and this is a good thing. With all the bands out there worshiping certain bands or following a familiar pattern a release like this is refreshing. The best comparison I could think of is something along the lines of Tad Morose as the music has a direct and heavy power metal approach a lot of the times, but also has a fairly thick guitar sound. Also, like Tad Morose the band sometimes settles into darker and slower songs as well as some melodic and epic moments. There is also something distinctly traditional about this though as it is nowhere near power metal cheese and carries with it kind of a vibe of 80s traditional metal. At times I also pick up on a little Crimson Glory, though the vocals aren't really in the mold of either mentioned band. Vocally I'm not sure who I'd compare this band to as the vocalist has his own voice, but it is in the general mold of traditional. Overall I find the vocalist pleasing to the ear and he has both the ability to sound heavy on songs like In The Eyes, but also sounds majestic and epic in songs like Land Of The Crimson Night. The guitarist seems pretty talented as well and there are some really nice riffs contained within.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this as a debut album. This is a really good listen straight through and I look forward to hearing more from this band. I would recommend this to fans of any fan of heavy power metal really.

Highlights: Land Of The Crimson Night, Evil Design, Lava Machine, Undead

Rating - 4.0/5