Crematory
Believe

THE REVIEW

It is now certain, Crematory is back! And they've returned in the best possible way. "Pray" is an album that proves it. But in their past, we find highs and lows. For sure, in 2000 they were very inspired to give birth to "Believe". Although for 2 years the band has not been around, they come out on top.

The album opens with a background of sultry keyboards by Katrin and a growl from Felix. The following track is "Fallen", a song the band believed in so much that they made a video for it, which is still visible on their mySpace but had very little visibility on TV. But by analyzing the song, one can understand the entire mood that will follow: a fitting keyboard riff followed by aggressive guitar power chords overlaying it. The clean vocals are rightly entrusted to Hechler, never out of place or off-key throughout the album. The song builds up and Felix breaks in with his growl; this is a succession that is always dynamic and never monotonous. A similar situation but vocally inverted in "Caroline", an aggressive verse leads to a clean chorus in sharp contrast but not dissonant.

A few years ago, I bought a video collection from N.B. And I see/listen for the first time "Tears Of Time". Even in the video, the idea is well rendered that time is just an illusion that flows like sand in hands. Wise words. A decent episode is "The Curse", where for once the guitar takes the spotlight (in a melodic phase). An intro and a true solo (the only one throughout the album) that neither adds nor subtracts from the substance of the entire album. The last gem is the unexpected finale, "Perils Of The Wind" is the song that highlights Matthias Hechler the most, an excellent addition. A sweetly melancholic song where the backdrop is just a classic piano.

In conclusion, it is one of their peaks, certainly on par with "Pray".