Crimson Glory
Transcendence

Very well, I proceed to the revival of what is one of the last masterpieces of our beloved 80s metal, worthy of being defined as such. In the same year that Priest released “Ram It Down” and Maiden perfectly closed a deadly decade with their last true masterpiece “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”, Crimson Glory reached their expressive and qualitative peak with their second studio album, “Transcendence” indeed. The American quintet offers us a record that technically presents itself as a work that is nothing short of seminal for what would later become Progressive Metal, but globally captures the listener mainly for the emotions it can offer; thanks to the perfect blend between the sound of the instrumental section, refined and evocative yet decisive, and the excellent variety of tracks present, both in lyrics and stylistic solutions, the album proves to be absolutely worthy of ranking among the crowning masterpieces of the genre. A separate discussion must be made for the extraordinary and at times inhuman voice of John “Midnight” McDonald, the charismatic (and lamented) frontman of the American band, who reaches heights, both in expressiveness and vocal range, that very few other singers have been able to equal.

In the album, as we were saying, what amazes in the overall vision is the variety of the tracks. The opener “Lady of Winter” offers us a worthy introduction to what awaits us, with just 4 minutes of pure 80s power metal, with an essential yet extremely evocative riffing. Following the trend of the first track are the splendid “Masque of the Red Death”, with Midnight now launched and in full form, the epic “Where Dragons Rule”, with a disarmingly beautiful riffing, and the earth-shaking “Red Sharks”, an anti-communist anthem with a more than dragging verse, not to mention the even more malevolent lyrics and riffing of the chorus and a bridge on the edge of Thrash, where Midnight delivers a terrifying high note with a cry of “Bloody red Sharks” that anyone, from the first listening, will end up remembering for a long time. In my opinion, one of the songs to include in a hypothetical list of the best and most representative of 80s Heavy/Power metal.

With “In Dark Places” and “Burning Bridges”, we instead have the key episodes of the already mentioned prog seminality present in the record, presenting not only a duration above average but also a series of refinements, like various cross rhythms and more sophisticated instrumental sections. Qualitatively, they're always pieces of excellent caliber, where the riffing of the Drenning/Jackson duo stands out as usual, not to mention the perennial undertone of unease and malignity of Midnight, telling us the more suffering and introspective aspect of the human side with truly inspired lyrics.

In “Lonely” and “Painted Skies” we find the two splendid ballads of the album; while the first leans on more loaded, exuberant, and at times angry rhythms, the second sets itself on slower and darker tracks, gifting us with what turns out to be one of the best songs of the entire batch (in my opinion, the best).

Only two pieces are missing from the lineup: the most powerful of the entire album, that is the spectacularly as well as devastating “Eternal World”, and the title-track “Transcendence”, where attention is completely focused on Midnight’s words, which cover an emotional sound carpet of acoustic guitars and keyboards, ending in a fade of a track with very strong epic and dreamy tints.

I really wouldn't know what else to add. "Transcendence" probably remains the true hidden gem of the 80s Heavy/Power discography, despite Crimson Glory never managing to confirm themselves at such levels again. I close with the usual, very trivial listening advice to all genre enthusiasts because the record in question is not the usual work characterized solely by a “trivial” set of explosive riffs, but owes its splendid success to a series of elements that, as the album title suggests, seem to transcend the genre itself... and it's probably on occasions like these, that one can truly speak of a masterpiece.

"It does not mean the end... it never really ends..."