- Apr 5, 2003
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Black Crucifixion - Faustian Dream
Paragon Records - PRG-26021 - May 31st, 2006
By Brandon Strader
For all fans of Dark Metal, whatever that may be, I'm proud to announce Black Crucifixion and their debut full-length, Faustian Dream. These guys have forsaken the ways of raw black metal to create this dark metal with a more emotional and melancholic presence than their previous efforts... Which means, if you aren't bored after the first 20 seconds of Faustian Dream, you may be in for quite a treat!
A pleasant melodic introduction sets the mood for the album with an acoustic guitar, an acoustically played electric bass (yes, I can tell...) and some nice piano played through a keyboard (yes, you can tell this too).. and then the song evolves into some grandiose string arrangements with trumpets, and flutes and proves that Black Crucifixion has REALLY changed their ways from the raw black metal origins. The first track, 'Faustian Dream', is a fantastic opener for the album and is very, very pleasant and triumphant. It ends with said piano playing a melody faster, and faster... and faster... until it finally leads into the next track with a much faster tempo...
The guitar tone isn't quite clean, yet it is not too dirty either. It's a lot more tame and less raw than black metal... The vocals are really not what I had been expecting, as they are very low-range clean vocals... Think Equirhodont but with a lot weaker vibrato. What? You've never heard Equirhodont? Well who has, really? Ha ha... Anyway, the arrangements are very great and, although the music is not as pleasant as the first track, it contains a lot of the same elements as shown in the first track. It still has the cool keyboard arrangements, the vocal choirs, strings, and the like. The guitars work into some great melodic riffing, though there are not many, if any, actual guitar leads or solos... The music sounds as if it should be carried along by the vocals, and a lot of the time the vocals aren't powerful enough to carry the music, or they're out of key, or "insert fault here from a large list of faults".
Overall, the album really is not too bad. It's got some great moments, and some not so great. A lot of the sections are dragged down by the vocals, which really sound horrible at times. Check it out for yourself I suppose, recommended for fans of Katatonia and the like, no offense... or is there? Mua haa.... Also as a finishing note, these guys are split-up now...
7/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Paragon Records Website
Paragon Records - PRG-26021 - May 31st, 2006
By Brandon Strader
For all fans of Dark Metal, whatever that may be, I'm proud to announce Black Crucifixion and their debut full-length, Faustian Dream. These guys have forsaken the ways of raw black metal to create this dark metal with a more emotional and melancholic presence than their previous efforts... Which means, if you aren't bored after the first 20 seconds of Faustian Dream, you may be in for quite a treat!
A pleasant melodic introduction sets the mood for the album with an acoustic guitar, an acoustically played electric bass (yes, I can tell...) and some nice piano played through a keyboard (yes, you can tell this too).. and then the song evolves into some grandiose string arrangements with trumpets, and flutes and proves that Black Crucifixion has REALLY changed their ways from the raw black metal origins. The first track, 'Faustian Dream', is a fantastic opener for the album and is very, very pleasant and triumphant. It ends with said piano playing a melody faster, and faster... and faster... until it finally leads into the next track with a much faster tempo...
The guitar tone isn't quite clean, yet it is not too dirty either. It's a lot more tame and less raw than black metal... The vocals are really not what I had been expecting, as they are very low-range clean vocals... Think Equirhodont but with a lot weaker vibrato. What? You've never heard Equirhodont? Well who has, really? Ha ha... Anyway, the arrangements are very great and, although the music is not as pleasant as the first track, it contains a lot of the same elements as shown in the first track. It still has the cool keyboard arrangements, the vocal choirs, strings, and the like. The guitars work into some great melodic riffing, though there are not many, if any, actual guitar leads or solos... The music sounds as if it should be carried along by the vocals, and a lot of the time the vocals aren't powerful enough to carry the music, or they're out of key, or "insert fault here from a large list of faults".
Overall, the album really is not too bad. It's got some great moments, and some not so great. A lot of the sections are dragged down by the vocals, which really sound horrible at times. Check it out for yourself I suppose, recommended for fans of Katatonia and the like, no offense... or is there? Mua haa.... Also as a finishing note, these guys are split-up now...
7/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Paragon Records Website
