Crimson Glory: Astronomica- Deluxe Edition (remaster)

The masks had gone away with the album Strange And Beautiful and the sun had risen on their former singer Midnight, who decided to leave the group just after its release. They would replace him with Wade Black - a powerful vocalist in his own right, who would bring an excellent level of intensity to the group at the same time. Drummer Dana Burnell was also gone and in his place was Steve "Doctor Killdrums" Wacholz (who many know from Savatage). Despite these changes Crimson Glory was able to remain a supremely powerful Melodic Metal force albeit a more refined and determined one. No gimmicks and costumes just incredible levels of Metal and musical expression. From the original lineup only Jackson, Drenning and Lords remained and they would surely not let the band fall by the wayside with mere membership changes. With Astromonica the band would show that they were far more than image and instead proficient players. Black's growling voice and intense presence raised the level of aggression in the band and provided them with a little more edge than they had in the past. Songs like "War Of The Worlds" and "Lucifer's Hammer" would present their fans with a Crimson Glory that was back and determined to take no prisoners. With Black at the helm and the former Savatage skin basher, I felt that CG became more of a Metal band than they were with their earlier releases. Transcendence was heavy, but more early Prog-Metal and still remains my favorite since this was the type of Metal that I was very big on when it was initially released but aside from this album Astronomica is a worthy component to any fans music collection. The remaster includes a bonus CD of rarities (live & demo) with expanded liner notes. The live tracks are from 1989 and capture the original lineup early in their career. If you are someone who found the group appealing when they burst on to the scene then this is something you should seek out for at the time the genre of Melodic Power Metal was still new and boundless. With reunion material pending, this is a great jumping on point for those who only heard about their legend from others who lived through those early years.

CD2: War Of The Worlds (remake), Astronomica (demo version), Touch Of The Sun (demo version), Dragon Lady (live), Eternal World (live), Painted Skies (live), Queen Of The Masquerade (live), Lost Reflection (live).

Track Listing
1. March To Glory
2. War Of The Worlds
3. New World Machine
4. Astronomica
5. Edge Of Forever
6. Touch The Sun
7. Lucifer's Hammer
8. Other Side Of Midnight
9. Cyber-Christ
10. Cydonia

Added: January 30th 2007
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
Related Link: Crimson Glory Website
Hits: 3545
Language: english

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