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Crimson Shadows - Kings Among Men review




Bandcamp music player
Reviewer:
8.8

66 users:
8.08
Band: Crimson Shadows
Album: Kings Among Men
Release date: September 2014


01. March Of Victory
02. Rise To Power
03. Heroes Among Us
04. A Gathering Of Kings
05. Maidens Call
06. Braving The Storm
07. On The Eve Of Battle (Intro)
08. Freedom And Salvation
09. Dawn Of Vengeance
10. Moonlite Skies And Bloody Tides

Let's face it people, epic metal is fucking dumb when you think about it. Grown men so obsessed with their Dungeons & Dragons adventures they give them life via recording entire albums. Cocaine, expensive tranny hookers and D&D have proven an awful mix, as we usually end up with two outcomes: Either the musician takes their bloated creation waaay too seriously, or they mock it so much they come across as resentful of own musical creations, and their fans in the process. It's always nice to hear some balance between self-aware fun and serious effort. Crimson Shadows epitomize that.

Crimson Shadows aren't exactly doing anything brand-new here, but they're just doing it damn well. Take the more extreme moments of Victory Songs era Ensiferum, maybe a dose of Amon Amarth, then pair it up with the oh-so-catchy melodies from DragonForce...

...If you've just read the word "DragonForce" and you haven't hastily returned to your porn other business, Crimson Shadows is for you. There's just something so indescribably connectable with this band. It's epic, heavy metal with no pompous bullshit. Kings Among Men does exactly what it sets out to do; deliver an epic, catchy, aggressive album that's assloads of fun. It's epic without over-production, catchy but not pandering and fun without the self-deprication.

Much like DragonForce, unfortunately, Crimson Shadows falls into pits of seemingly never-ending guitar solos, which they try to dig themselves out of with more solos. Guitar geeks out there might eat that shit up, but for the rest of us slobs, it's just wanking. Songs like "Braving The Storm" and "Moonlite Skies and Bloody Tides" really don't need to be six-minutes-plus a piece, but they're extended to "epic" length through aimless, albeit skillful guitar solos. The upside is that these tracks are quarantined, as if they're saying "You assholes like guitar solos? Well, now it's time to masturbate along with us!" Crimson Shadows are bestest when they're tightest.

If you like your power metal albums capable of actually tearing shit up, Give Kings Among Men a shot.[/





Written on 22.08.2014 by Former EIC. Now just a reviewer guy.


Comments

Comments: 11   Visited by: 260 users
22.08.2014 - 17:44
Rulatore

Was there something wrong with the other review that you posted ?
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22.08.2014 - 18:25
D.T. Metal

Written by Rulatore on 22.08.2014 at 17:44

Was there something wrong with the other review that you posted ?

We had technical difficulties
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22.08.2014 - 20:11
Rulatore

Written by D.T. Metal on 22.08.2014 at 18:25

We had technical difficulties

Oh, ok.
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22.08.2014 - 22:25
AngelofDeth
Cyborg Raptor
Need to check this one out, that's a high rating for a no-name band.

Quote:
It's always nice to hear some balance between self-aware fun and serious effort.


^ Some of my favorite type of art/music, actually, thats pretty much how I live my life now that I think about it....
----
pewpew.. gotcha
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22.08.2014 - 22:27
Rating: 9
Doc G.
Full Grown Hoser
Written by AngelofDeth on 22.08.2014 at 22:25

Need to check this one out, that's a high rating for a no-name band.

Yeah, it's nothing mind-blowingly fresh by any means, it's just a really, really, really fun album.
----
"I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck."
- George Carlin
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23.08.2014 - 00:49
AngelofDeth
Cyborg Raptor
Written by Doc G. on 22.08.2014 at 22:27

Yeah, it's nothing mind-blowingly fresh by any means, it's just a really, really, really fun album.

Just listened to the single off of it and I see what you mean. Not too original but still well made.
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pewpew.. gotcha
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23.08.2014 - 03:24
WinterMadness

Tried the single...not sure what I think really. It kind of sounds like a metalcore band playing Dragonforce. Not a big fan of those high backing screams although the main harsh vocals were ok. The clean vocals put me off somehow, not really sure why. Just a visceral reaction.
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23.08.2014 - 17:40
TheBloodyNine

Good musicians, bad songs, lame singing, bad album.

6.5/10
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24.08.2014 - 06:43
Lionthrone

I found one of their albums on Bandcamp to stream but can't seem to find where you can download anything, or stream anything else. Can someone help me out?
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24.08.2014 - 07:45
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Lionthrone on 24.08.2014 at 06:43
I found one of their albums on Bandcamp to stream but can't seem to find where you can download anything, or stream anything else. Can someone help me out?

According to the Napalm Records webshop, it isn't being released until the 29th and they probably won't be streaming it until closer to/after the release date, if at all.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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30.08.2014 - 04:40
Rating: 8
M C Vice
ex-polydactyl
I actually liked the clean vocals. It was good when they had both vocals going at once.

"Cocaine, expensive tranny hookers and D&D have proven an awful mix"
That was a fun party, though.
----
"Another day, another Doug."
"I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples."
" 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
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