Crystal Tears

Choirs Of Immortal

Written by: PP on 01/11/2006 17:46:20

Don't be scared away by the artwork, Crystal Tear isn't death metal, even if the cover suggests so. Far from it, in fact. Being the first release on the brand new label Pure Steel Records, the band obviously plays a big part in the future of the label, which consequently places much pressure on their new album "Choirs Of Immortal". By the sounds of it, Pure Steel Records can stop holding their breath as greek Crystal Tears brings back the 80s heavy fucking metal back with a storm.

The band is fronted by one of the most up and coming female vocalists of our time. Natasa Pandreia's vocals race Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish) in range and Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy) in depth, stirring initial confusion of her gender as her rough but beautiful voice streams across the vast Iron Maiden-esque riffs, painting large valley-like scenery into the mind of the listener.

The band is fully proficient in their instruments as well. "Stealer Of Minds" borrows thrashy riffs and fuses them with the usual power metal open-ended riffs, all supported by drum-battering homage to the lighter end of the death metal scene. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the band slows their sound significantly down on "When The Night Is Cold" and takes advantage of ultra melodic leads while the rhythm guitar throws out open ended riffs a la Hammerfall. Similar opposites are scattered throughout the album, with songs ranging from the slow, pure heavy metal "Rock Survivors" to the thrashing "Nightmare Terror" to the odd ballady "Megas Alexandros".

All the songs on the album pass the approval mark in my ears. But considering that this is their 4th album, one element of their sound strikes me: Without their magnificent, characteristic vocalist Natasa the band wouldn't be much else than an ordinary heavy metal band following the path of Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills". It would be next to impossible to listen to a song and say "this is Crystal Tears, 100%!" without having to consider alternatives such as Hammerfall or other significant acts in the genre. Nevertheless, their Pure Steel Records debut is likely to cause a stir in the otherwise stale genre - after all, they are fronted by a stunning female singer with a voice more powerful than most males.

Download: Stealer Of Minds, Nightmare Terror
For the fans of: Hammerfall, Iron Maiden
Listen: Streams @ Pure Steel Records

Release date 20.10.2006
Pure Steel Records
Provided by Gordeon Music

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