Crossfire is hailing from Ankara/Turkey and Agression Treaty is a great album considering that this is their debut.
Before going further into song by song review, I'll give a brief description overall. Musically, I can say that their songwriting apporach is rather inspired from Nevermore, Low-era Testament and Iced Earth (they hate this comparison). Also there are some European power metal touches on the songs.
Vocalist Bulent has a good voice tone but his vocal range is limited. So he tries to deliver different vocal approaches and he succeeds. Sometimes he sings softly and emotionally, but sometimes there are very agressive vocal parts. However, in some of the lines his low delivery range causes some problems in guitar-vocal harmony. And I think some songs could have been written with better vocal melody lines.
The guitars are the highlights of this album. The guitar duo Kaya and Kerem comes up with excellent mid tempo power metal riffs. Overall, the guitar rythms in this album have nothing less than the typical American power metal bands' guitarwork. Moreover, both guitarist fill every song with ripping solos. The guitarwork in this album is complete succession.
The bass guitars are nothing exceptional but fits the style and music perfectly.
And the drums... Drummer Can stands out in this album, providing excellent double bass work at times and great fills. His cymbal usage is outstanding considering the straightforward playing styles of typical power/thrash drummers.
The production is good compared to other weak produced Turkish heavy metal recordings. By the way, the guitarist Kaya has done the producing, mixing and mastering of this album. Considering the demo "Decisions of Hate" recorded in 2002 by Crossfire, there is a huge improvement in the guitar and drums sounds. But compared to European or American albums, this album's production quality is not of very high standards.
The album starts with the intro "Argession Treaty". It lasts about one minute. The police sirens sets the pace perfectly for the upcoming song "Slaves".
Slaves starts with powerful rythms before the vocal comes in. The double bass work of Can is stunning. Also his cymbal usage and fills are awesome. Can really shines on this song. The chorus of the song is very catchy and attracts the attention of the listener in the first spin. Kaya plays a beautiful, melodic solo. He does not overplay but that does not mean he cannot shred. The lyrics of this song reminds me of Testament's lyrics and this catches my attention.
The third track "Eternal Lies (NonServiam)" kicks off with a Nevermore-like riff. Powerful drumming fits the song perfectly. The vocal melodies are memorable. After the chorus, an excellent guitar melody takes part. Although this is a powerful song full of double bass drumming, the band managed to put great melodies in the song. The solo by Kaya is outstanding. He starts with melodic licks then starts doing some awesome sweep picking and he show that he can shred like hell.
The fourth track of the album "Dream Within a Dream", which is the longest track of the album, is one of my favourites. The song starts with a drum solo. This is a song full of adrenaline, again the double bass drumming is excellent in this song. He does not play straightforward, putting some -I guess- odd time signatured hits. The chorus again catches the attention. Then comes a great Judas Priest-like riff in a thrash metal vein. This song is very up-tempo compared to other songs, till the fourth minute. Then the acoustic guitars comes in changing the feel of the song. The solo by Kerem is heart-ripping, one of the favourite solos I listened to nowadays. He pours his heart out, this is a very emotional solo which I rewind back, listen on and on. After the Friedman-like solo, the song again becomes fast and there is a great drum fill, reminding me of Bobby Jarzombek's hihat usage. The lyrics are very dark and personal.
The next son "Nightwolf" gave its name to the official fan-club "Nightwolves". Musically, this is not a diverse song, containing a few riffs but just one melody makes it all. This song blends the melody and the thrash riffing perfectly. Unlike the other power/thrash bands, Crossfire knows how to mix the fast thrash riffing and melodies well. This is an up-tempo song and Kerem plays a very fast, shredding solo then comes again another great melody again. Before the last chorus, the songs reaches its climax with the perfect drumming of Can.
The sixth track kicks off with a great riff. Two guitars play different things and the drums are again impressive. The verses of this song are nothing exceptional but melody lines in the chorus are great. This is a very dark song, both lyrically and musically. The lyrics of this song are written by the band's artwork designer (he makes %95 of the art work designs of the albums and demos of bands from Ankara), web site designer, and one of the greatest supporters, Abdulkadir "Raikhor" Yıldırım. The trade off solos start with slow melodic licks from Kaya and a solo by Kerem with wah-wah effect. Then the solos speed up by Kaya and end up with Kerem by Jason Becker-like sweep pickings. This song is undoubtedly one of my favourites in this album.
After "Inner Conflict" comes a short intro named "Gate". The acoustic guitars sets the atmosphere for the amazing song "The Forsaken". The song starts with a groovy riff and a tapping melody. Drummer Can plays incredibly, his cymbal work and fills are out of this world. The vocals are very powerful at the start but after a while the song slows down and acoustic guitars take part. The song continues in a very dark mood and this part of the song is excellent. I have always liked darker approaches to songs in heavy metal. Then Kaya comes with a melodic solo again. The vocal melodies on the verses are stunning. Kaya plays another great solo, reminding me of Gary Holt from Exodus, before the last chorus. The Forsaken is clearly one of the best songs of the album.
The ninth track "...And Darkness Fallin'" is not the greatest song of the album. This is a low paced song with acoustic guitars. Female vocals support the lead vocals in the chorus. I never likes female voices in heavy metal. This song can be called a typical slow metal song and definitely this is not for me. The best part of the song is the guitar solo played by Kerem.
"Under Siege" starts with a riff along the lines of Nevermore. Then comes a solo which the words are not enough to describe. The solo reminds me of Michael Romeo from Symphony X and Kerem fucking shreds like him. This is really incredible. The song is a very thrash based song but the drums are in power metal vein. The vocals are suitable for you to sing along with Bulent while listening
Rust in Peace album from Megadeth comes to mind while listening to first verses. The solo in the middle part is excellent also. Kaya shreds and kicks ass with his sweep pickings unlike his melodic solos in this album.
"Gelibolu" is one of my favourite songs in this album. It is about WW1 and contains great lyrics. The song starts very moody reminding me of Dead Heart in a Dead World of Nevermore as if the melody is played from an LP. This is a great start for the song and then the distortion welcomes the Glory and Death. The main riff is maybe the best guitar riff in this album. It is very simple but awesome. I guess it is odd time signatured and it hooked me. The second verses are great again but the female vocals in the chorus are the weakest part of this song. I don't mean her voice is bad, but I do not like female vocals and I doubt that it fits the song. In the middle part, the first part of the song comes again with gun and war sounds and Kerem plays a short and melodic solo, maybe along the lines of Marty Friedman. Save the female vocals, this song is faultless.
The next song "Unfair" is a song from their 2002 demo. This is not a good song compared to the others. The guitar riffs are very ordinary. The solo by Kerem is Jason Becker type and full of sweep pickings but I think he has overplayed there and this solo does not fit the song. This song is among the weak ones in the album.
The last song is "Don't Fool Me" is a slow song like ...And Darkness Fallin' but this is a better one. This is not my favourite song but it is good choice to finish the album. Very emotinal song.
This album was going to be released in Europe by Remedy Records, even Crossfire went to play a gig in Germany, but the label didn't give permission the band to release the album in their own country, and the deal was off. So the album was only released in Turkey. So in order to get this album, you should contact the band from info@crossfirenet.com
Originally written for www.metal-archives.com
Before going further into song by song review, I'll give a brief description overall. Musically, I can say that their songwriting apporach is rather inspired from Nevermore, Low-era Testament and Iced Earth (they hate this comparison). Also there are some European power metal touches on the songs.
Vocalist Bulent has a good voice tone but his vocal range is limited. So he tries to deliver different vocal approaches and he succeeds. Sometimes he sings softly and emotionally, but sometimes there are very agressive vocal parts. However, in some of the lines his low delivery range causes some problems in guitar-vocal harmony. And I think some songs could have been written with better vocal melody lines.
The guitars are the highlights of this album. The guitar duo Kaya and Kerem comes up with excellent mid tempo power metal riffs. Overall, the guitar rythms in this album have nothing less than the typical American power metal bands' guitarwork. Moreover, both guitarist fill every song with ripping solos. The guitarwork in this album is complete succession.
The bass guitars are nothing exceptional but fits the style and music perfectly.
And the drums... Drummer Can stands out in this album, providing excellent double bass work at times and great fills. His cymbal usage is outstanding considering the straightforward playing styles of typical power/thrash drummers.
The production is good compared to other weak produced Turkish heavy metal recordings. By the way, the guitarist Kaya has done the producing, mixing and mastering of this album. Considering the demo "Decisions of Hate" recorded in 2002 by Crossfire, there is a huge improvement in the guitar and drums sounds. But compared to European or American albums, this album's production quality is not of very high standards.
The album starts with the intro "Argession Treaty". It lasts about one minute. The police sirens sets the pace perfectly for the upcoming song "Slaves".
Slaves starts with powerful rythms before the vocal comes in. The double bass work of Can is stunning. Also his cymbal usage and fills are awesome. Can really shines on this song. The chorus of the song is very catchy and attracts the attention of the listener in the first spin. Kaya plays a beautiful, melodic solo. He does not overplay but that does not mean he cannot shred. The lyrics of this song reminds me of Testament's lyrics and this catches my attention.
The third track "Eternal Lies (NonServiam)" kicks off with a Nevermore-like riff. Powerful drumming fits the song perfectly. The vocal melodies are memorable. After the chorus, an excellent guitar melody takes part. Although this is a powerful song full of double bass drumming, the band managed to put great melodies in the song. The solo by Kaya is outstanding. He starts with melodic licks then starts doing some awesome sweep picking and he show that he can shred like hell.
The fourth track of the album "Dream Within a Dream", which is the longest track of the album, is one of my favourites. The song starts with a drum solo. This is a song full of adrenaline, again the double bass drumming is excellent in this song. He does not play straightforward, putting some -I guess- odd time signatured hits. The chorus again catches the attention. Then comes a great Judas Priest-like riff in a thrash metal vein. This song is very up-tempo compared to other songs, till the fourth minute. Then the acoustic guitars comes in changing the feel of the song. The solo by Kerem is heart-ripping, one of the favourite solos I listened to nowadays. He pours his heart out, this is a very emotional solo which I rewind back, listen on and on. After the Friedman-like solo, the song again becomes fast and there is a great drum fill, reminding me of Bobby Jarzombek's hihat usage. The lyrics are very dark and personal.
The next son "Nightwolf" gave its name to the official fan-club "Nightwolves". Musically, this is not a diverse song, containing a few riffs but just one melody makes it all. This song blends the melody and the thrash riffing perfectly. Unlike the other power/thrash bands, Crossfire knows how to mix the fast thrash riffing and melodies well. This is an up-tempo song and Kerem plays a very fast, shredding solo then comes again another great melody again. Before the last chorus, the songs reaches its climax with the perfect drumming of Can.
The sixth track kicks off with a great riff. Two guitars play different things and the drums are again impressive. The verses of this song are nothing exceptional but melody lines in the chorus are great. This is a very dark song, both lyrically and musically. The lyrics of this song are written by the band's artwork designer (he makes %95 of the art work designs of the albums and demos of bands from Ankara), web site designer, and one of the greatest supporters, Abdulkadir "Raikhor" Yıldırım. The trade off solos start with slow melodic licks from Kaya and a solo by Kerem with wah-wah effect. Then the solos speed up by Kaya and end up with Kerem by Jason Becker-like sweep pickings. This song is undoubtedly one of my favourites in this album.
After "Inner Conflict" comes a short intro named "Gate". The acoustic guitars sets the atmosphere for the amazing song "The Forsaken". The song starts with a groovy riff and a tapping melody. Drummer Can plays incredibly, his cymbal work and fills are out of this world. The vocals are very powerful at the start but after a while the song slows down and acoustic guitars take part. The song continues in a very dark mood and this part of the song is excellent. I have always liked darker approaches to songs in heavy metal. Then Kaya comes with a melodic solo again. The vocal melodies on the verses are stunning. Kaya plays another great solo, reminding me of Gary Holt from Exodus, before the last chorus. The Forsaken is clearly one of the best songs of the album.
The ninth track "...And Darkness Fallin'" is not the greatest song of the album. This is a low paced song with acoustic guitars. Female vocals support the lead vocals in the chorus. I never likes female voices in heavy metal. This song can be called a typical slow metal song and definitely this is not for me. The best part of the song is the guitar solo played by Kerem.
"Under Siege" starts with a riff along the lines of Nevermore. Then comes a solo which the words are not enough to describe. The solo reminds me of Michael Romeo from Symphony X and Kerem fucking shreds like him. This is really incredible. The song is a very thrash based song but the drums are in power metal vein. The vocals are suitable for you to sing along with Bulent while listening
Rust in Peace album from Megadeth comes to mind while listening to first verses. The solo in the middle part is excellent also. Kaya shreds and kicks ass with his sweep pickings unlike his melodic solos in this album."Gelibolu" is one of my favourite songs in this album. It is about WW1 and contains great lyrics. The song starts very moody reminding me of Dead Heart in a Dead World of Nevermore as if the melody is played from an LP. This is a great start for the song and then the distortion welcomes the Glory and Death. The main riff is maybe the best guitar riff in this album. It is very simple but awesome. I guess it is odd time signatured and it hooked me. The second verses are great again but the female vocals in the chorus are the weakest part of this song. I don't mean her voice is bad, but I do not like female vocals and I doubt that it fits the song. In the middle part, the first part of the song comes again with gun and war sounds and Kerem plays a short and melodic solo, maybe along the lines of Marty Friedman. Save the female vocals, this song is faultless.
The next song "Unfair" is a song from their 2002 demo. This is not a good song compared to the others. The guitar riffs are very ordinary. The solo by Kerem is Jason Becker type and full of sweep pickings but I think he has overplayed there and this solo does not fit the song. This song is among the weak ones in the album.
The last song is "Don't Fool Me" is a slow song like ...And Darkness Fallin' but this is a better one. This is not my favourite song but it is good choice to finish the album. Very emotinal song.
This album was going to be released in Europe by Remedy Records, even Crossfire went to play a gig in Germany, but the label didn't give permission the band to release the album in their own country, and the deal was off. So the album was only released in Turkey. So in order to get this album, you should contact the band from info@crossfirenet.com
Originally written for www.metal-archives.com
