2007-05-27
Canada's Southern Cross deliver what is ultimately a very satisfying power/thrash metal effort, the band's debut is a combination of quite heavy and fast power metal with some prog elements and nice keyboard work, it's the band's talent that makes this work, though there are some bugs to be taken out of the system to make this a prefect album.
The album's sound was quite a surprise, strong and very powerful, it's upon seeing the famed Mika Jussila on the Mastering duties that I understood how was it achieved, still, there's a bit of murkiness on the album's treble which sounded weird, it's not enough to hurt it, but it could've been better without it.
Musically the album is excellent, it's nice to hear what is basically power metal played with such aggression and ferocity, the opener is a great example of the band's unflinching approach to melodic metal. No larger than life pop melodies, just solid heavy metal with powerful, hard-edged vocals.
The only problem with the music here is that some of the tracks seem to have taken the prog element a bit too far, the band has the technique and ability to do that, but it still feels to me they're better off with more straightforward material, with no added complexity.
"Fallen" is another strong cut, some really fine guitar work and strong double-bass drumming, these guys come off a European power metal band, some whiff of
Stratovarious here, but there's an added aggressive edge that elevates the material.
It's not a prefect album, but a very enjoyable one. For those who are in for some heavy power metal, Canadian style, this is a fine way to spend your time.
Alon Miasnikov
