Crimson Glory - Transcendence (1988)Release ID: 2223
'Transcendence' is the album that many Crimson Glory fans (do these still exist???) consider their finest work. And it'd be hard to disagree. Good, quality metal riffing with some nice melodies and interesting twin-guitar harmonies is something I feel that modern metal seems to be lacking, but this album has in abundance, showing you how to get the most out of two guitars.
Everything about this album is a huge improvement upon the groups self-titled debut (which is an album I struggled to enjoy, for no reason in particular). The songwriting is a lot more mature and the guitar harmonies are more consistently interesting than before. Midnight's ungodly vocal range truly shines here with a much more precise production that perfectly suits the music and the era in which it was released.
Guitarists Ben Jackson and Jon Drenning really are two sides of the same coin, with their twin-guitar assault being highly reminiscent of metal greats such as James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray, or Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman... or pretty much any other guitarist who's been in Megadeth... the chemistry between the two really is that good, and it's a travesty that they would have such a limited output over the years.
Almost every track offered here is a hit, with only a couple towards the end feeling like they were chucked in to extend the duration of the album. 'Lady of Winter', 'Red Sharks', 'Masque of the Red Death' and 'Where Dragons Rule' are some of the finest, most energetic and enthusiastic power metal songs you can find, and of course, there's also the hit single 'Lonely', which is the song that originally led me to purchasing this record in the first place!
It's a shame that a band such as Crimson Glory never truly lived up to the potential that they had in their prime, but if 'Transcendence' is forever to be considered their finest work, then that's a pretty damn good achievement.
The Progressive Heavy/Power Metal tag that seems to be attached to Crimson Glory is accurate enough in describing the sound on their sophomore release, Transendence. Coming two years after their well-received, self-titled debut, the band were already showing what mature and accomplished songwriters and artists they were in their own right. The depth of the quality on their 1988 release indicating that this band had fast become a force to be reckoned with a relatively short period of time. They had been around since 1979 though (as Pierced Arrow) and had changed their name after three years to Bewoulf before settling in 1983 on Crimson Glory. Famous for their silver masks (later becoming half-masks) the band was more than just performers though. Genuine talent sat in the ranks of the band, most notably with their vocalist, Midnight.
The late vocalist joined the band in 1983 and had bedded in well by the time they got round to recording their debut. His unique and challenging vocal style was an initial obstacle for these ears to overcome but once I understood their overall place in the arrangement of the tracks then it all fell perfectly into place. His vocal style fast became the unique identifier of the band's souund, backed up by the flair and skill of the rest of the band this all combined to become a formidable force. What Transcendence showed was that the building blocks of the debut had been used to construct a memorable and genuinely interesting record full of storytelling but never straying into the boundaries of bluster.
Guitarists Jon Denning and Ben Jackson are the other real standout performances on Transendence. The duo exchange licks throughout the ten tracks on the album keeping things energised and focused, delivering capable and consistent playing that maximises the entertainment value. From the opening track, Lady of Winter it is clear that this is not an experience the listener will forget very easily, the hooks are sunk in early on and are around for the duration of the record. The overall feeling of solidity is cemented by the drum work of Dana Burnell and bass musings of Jeff Lords. Both keep pace well with the overall development of the record and ensure that the whole experience feels like a real band effort.
For an album who's title espouses some existence beyond the physical form, there is a real sense of things feeling grounded and sensible without ever getting boring. The band sadly took on a more commercial sound after this release, leading to fractures in the band and the departure of Jackson and Burnell. The band never reached the proportion of brilliance they hit on this record again and sadly Midnight passed away in 2009 bringing down the curtain on a band that had so much promise but I feel peaked too early.
I've always favoured Crimson Glory's debut over this sophomore effort however there's not much in it as they're both really high quality metal records. "Transcendence" sits somewhere between the classic Iron Maiden/Judas Priest heavy metal sound & the more progressive Queensrÿche/Fates Warning one. There's some great vocal hooks & guitar solos & the song-writing quality is very consistent throughout with no weak tracks included however there's probably not enough genuine classics to have me reaching for the higher scores. Vocalist Midnight is pretty amazing though & is the obvious focal point with his operatic style being heavily influenced by Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate. "In Dark Places" is the clear highlight for me & is a perfect example of this style of heavy metal. It stays with me for days after each listen.
