The Wings of Salvation

Good, melodic sympho-metal is still here to stay, thank the All Father, and for every wannabe Rhapsody/Nightwish clone, there are still acts out there with a modicum of integrity who do what they can for the sake of doing what they can, trying their damnedest not to follow and already paved paths. However, for the VERY new acts popping up, a mere detour down that existing pathway isn’t always a bad thing, so long as it’s not a complete and utter marathon into becoming a mere shadow of their inspirations. But that’s really up to them.

I took to that mindset when I was able to get a hold of this, Crimson Wind’s debut album, with hopes that these Italian riff-mongers would be able to entertain with their first attempt…

And entertain they do; “The Wings of Salvation” isn’t really what I would consider a perfect entry into the symphonic power metal world, but for what it’s worth, it’s a fine entry nonetheless. There are plenty of moments where these guys almost boil over with potential, pushing along their distorted riffs/leads and galloping drums with fancy acoustic interludes and atmospheric synths. While they don’t totally create an ambient, otherworldly feel with their music, they still plug along with lots of ambition and exuberance, with each track coming off as its own real entity versus just plodding along repeating the same feel and ideas as the previous one, and I found myself continuing from song to song with a sort of curiosity, wondering where else they’d take me. The overall feel of this album is something that just deserved my attention, as well as the attention of others who would be rather keen on this kind of sound, as the likes of “Abyss of Fire”, “Hold Your Dreams”, and “Slave to Your Memory” impress and entertain as best they could.

However, as I’d stated before, this isn’t really a completely perfect product. Most of this comes from the production/mixing approach, with is quite rough, dry and low-key. Not ear-unfriendly by any stretch, but is still something that could’ve been cleaned up a bit in the mixing/mastering process. The same can be said about some of the overall performance which, despite its energetic demeanor, suffers from a few bouts of less-than-professional appeal. This is mostly the result of the singing, which goes from fitting the music to pushing the limits of tolerability via some shaky falsetto highs and background growls that don't really fit given the musical approach. That’s actually nothing to truly hold against the group, as the best bands out there have had rough-around-the-edges debuts, and time and a little cutting of the teeth would do wonders for them.

In the end, Crimson Wind has a solid, if slightly flawed, debut that is chock full of enjoyability and good ideas. If these guys kept at it, no doubt that they’d do nothing but improve over time and give us even better works of musical art. Recommended.