CRIMSON GLORY

Crimson Glory was a little band from Florida that ignored the flourishing death metal scene and instead helped to pioneer progressive metal alongside Queensryche and Fates Warning. Their vocalist dubbed himself Midnight. Had he not been so talented, that would be sufficient reason for us to never mention Crimson Glory ever again. However, in a rare turn of events, the band backed up their silly metal attitude with skill. Combining the complex melodies of Fates Warning with the soaring vocals of Queensryche, Crimson Glory were one of those all too often overlooked bands that helped to shape progressive metal. Vocally, Midnight sounds like King Diamond if King Diamond only used the upper half of his range. However, there is more power in Midnight's high notes than the King's airy falsettos. He moves the songs as much as the instruments do, which is impressive considering the speedy gait of these power progressive tunes.

There are a few highlights on this debut album. Valhalla is a power metal anthem from the gods, with screaming guitars and vocals that are sure to make the average maiden fan smile. Dragon Lady is more of the same, but it still pleases. Heart of Steel goes from a soft opening to an epic song that wouldn't sound out of place on an Iron Maiden album. Azrael fuses Fates warning melody with Maiden's galloping structure t make a very interesting track. The real stand out, however, is the closing track Lost Reflection. Midnight's composition is a haunting song that goes from an eerie intro to a full blown epic in just under five minutes. One of CG's top three songs, in my opinion.

Crimson Glory's debut, like Queensryche's The Warning, owes a little too much to Iron Maiden to be considered unique. However, it did stand out against the death metal scene of their native Florida and the hair metal scene that dominated US airwaves. Fans of Fates Warning, Iron Maiden, and Queensryche must pick this up, and while you're at it get CG's best album Transcendence. This is one of the strongest debuts of 80s metal, but it's not quite progressive yet.

Grade: C