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Crescent Shield The Last of My Kind
Cruz Del Sur Cruz17 October 2006
By Ryan Starr
Crescent Shield started as a side project back in 2000. 6 years later they are the primary band and put out their debut album The Last of My kind, and its a scorcher. The first track Above Mere Mortals welcomes us with some great power metal shred riffs and a hell of a chorus. Crescent Shield lean more toward the thrashier side of power metal, but with no lack of that epic power metal feel weve all grown to love. Maybe this is what Blind Guardian would sound like had they stuck with their Follow the Blind era style.
The one thing that sets this band apart from the rest of the genre is singer Michael Grant. His vocals sound more like Messiah of Candlemass, rather than the stereotypical power metal singer, which is a breathe of fresh air. Everything else is pretty standard. Guitarist Daniel DeLucie does a great job of keeping everything tasteful. Its intricate but not over the top and everything feels very familiar, but still different. So while the music doesnt travel too far from the beaten path, it is still unique, and that is something the band will ultimately benefit from.
Overall, this is a solid debut release, and a great band. I will be very interested in checking out their new album, which according to the site is coming shortly.
Official Crescent Shield Website
Official Cruz Del Sur Website
Cruz Del Sur Cruz17 October 2006
By Ryan Starr
Crescent Shield started as a side project back in 2000. 6 years later they are the primary band and put out their debut album The Last of My kind, and its a scorcher. The first track Above Mere Mortals welcomes us with some great power metal shred riffs and a hell of a chorus. Crescent Shield lean more toward the thrashier side of power metal, but with no lack of that epic power metal feel weve all grown to love. Maybe this is what Blind Guardian would sound like had they stuck with their Follow the Blind era style.
The one thing that sets this band apart from the rest of the genre is singer Michael Grant. His vocals sound more like Messiah of Candlemass, rather than the stereotypical power metal singer, which is a breathe of fresh air. Everything else is pretty standard. Guitarist Daniel DeLucie does a great job of keeping everything tasteful. Its intricate but not over the top and everything feels very familiar, but still different. So while the music doesnt travel too far from the beaten path, it is still unique, and that is something the band will ultimately benefit from.
Overall, this is a solid debut release, and a great band. I will be very interested in checking out their new album, which according to the site is coming shortly.
Official Crescent Shield Website
Official Cruz Del Sur Website
