Full disclosure: I’m a huge Crimson Shadows fanboy. I’ve
seen them live more than any other band, and I’ve been listening to them pretty
much non-stop since 2008. It was no surprise to me that they won the Wacken
Metal Battle Canada this year because they have an extremely unique sound that
has yet to be done by another band. Combine that killer musicianship and a
great live performance, and you have one of the best bands around today. As you
might expect, I’ve been anticipating their newest EP, “Sails of Destiny”, for
quite a while now, and it does not disappoint!
Musically, “Sails of Destiny” retains all of the bands
hallmarks. Every track features plenty of harmonized leads and shredding from
Greg Rounding and Ryan Hofing. Though the amount of shredding might have
declined (two of these tracks are sub-6 minutes), the quality has not. Jimi
Maltais’ growls are somehow even deeper than before, yet he still manages to
hit high screams. The clean vocals of Rounding have returned, but they have
improved substantially. His singing is at the point where he could easily front
a power metal band and it would be completely brilliant. In fact, I would say
the improvement in his vocals is the highlight of the EP for me. Given the
speed and intensity of the music, some serious drumming is required, and Cory
Hofing more than delivers. You would expect a death metal band to utilize
double bass and blast beats, which Crimson Shadows does, but it is the
variation in the drumming that makes Hofing’s work more interesting than other
drummers’ playing. Finally, I have to credit Morgan Rider for making me notice the
bass playing for the first time in this band. There is a bass solo in “Moonlit
Skies and Bloody Tides” that will blow your mind, especially once you realize
that he plays with his fingers, rather than a pick.
The three songs on “Sails of Destiny” are a different beast
from the preceding album and EP. For one thing, there’s a nine-minute epic
here. “Moonlit Skies and Bloody Tides” takes you on a serious journey, before
an ending lead fades out the song and the EP. This was the most difficult track
for me to get into, not because of the length, but because of the chorus. The
clean vocal melodies used, combined with the gang vocals that show up were a
bit different for the band, but after several listens, this section reveals
that it has a lot of emotion in it. The gang vocals make it sound like a band
united, ready to fight against some sort of demonic foe. The single, “Maiden’s
Call”, is the most standard song for the band on this release, but that is not a bad thing, as
they have pretty much perfected their sound at this point. There are no real
surprises on this song, except for one incredibly heavy section towards the end
of each verse. Calling it a breakdown would be a misnomer, but the entire feel
of the music changes for this short moment that causes unavoidable headbanging.
Finally, there is the opener, “Freedom and Salvation”, which is my favourite
song. The first melody that hits you in this song is likely to become stuck in
your head for days, and is the driving force behind this great song. At 5
minutes, it is one of the shortest songs the band has recorded, but it gets its
point across quite quickly, before leading you into the rest of this brilliant
EP.
If you haven’t heard Crimson Shadows before, “Sails of
Destiny” is a great place to start. It is a succinct summary of the band’s work
(though no replacement for hearing the debut album or first EP) that shows them
continuing to evolve and develop as both musicians and songwriters. This EP
should appeal to fans of both power and death metal, and even if melody in
metal isn’t your thing, I would still give this a shot anyways, as it is one of
the best and most unique releases I have heard.
Highlights
"Freedom And Salvation"
"Maiden's Call"
"Moonlit Skies and Bloody Tides"
Final Rating
4.7/5 or 94%.