STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL

Crimson Glory

Progressive Metal

2.25 | 40 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

sixpence-guy

This is not a great album, but it is not as bad as some would have you believe.

"Starchamber" would have been at home on Transcendence. It is unfortunate that the band did not explore this sound more on Strange and Beautiful. It really is the only prog metal song on the album, and while the lyrics deal with sex, as do most on the album, Midnight uses space metaphors that aren't cringe inducing. It is also one of the few songs that doesn't conform to a pop rock format. There is a nice psychedelic intro, melodic verses and chorus, and an upbeat solo section that seques into another psychedelic bridge which mirrors the intro.

The first two songs on the album seem to be exploring the Led Zeppelin clone fad which was going on at the time (Kingdom Come, etc). "Strange And Beautiful" has some interesting guitar playing, but the lyrics are just awful. "Promise Land" has some tribal drumming (think Saigon Kick), before kicking into Zep clone territory again. Both songs are good hard rock songs, but they are not prog in the least.

The single from the album, "The Chant," is a genric pop metal song. It might have been a radio hit for another band, but it just doesn't work for CG.

"In The Mood" is a really interesting song. It has a world music vibe which I think the band should have explored more, since they were obviously not interested in making prog metal anymore. This song and "Starchamber" make the album worth exploring.

The rest of the album is rounded out be competent hard rock songs and ballads that are really catchy. So, if you like straight forward hard rock with metal flourishes, this might be your ticket. You should definitely pick it up if you find it used or at a discount for the "Starchamber" track.

sixpence-guy | 2/5 | 2009-7-12

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