ONCE UPON A TIME

CRYPTEX are hailing from the Hanover/Brunswick region in Germany ... which by the way is not far away from my homebase, yikes! They originally started as a trio, where keyboarder Simon Moskon and his concise singing voice will be the main constant during the following years, until today. 'Once Upon A Time' is coming from a heavy rock fundament in general, though actually enriched with symphonic keyboard contributions here and there. I would say a little treasure chest really, made of twelve consistently entertaining tracks, hey, even thirteen, if you may count the bonus song Closer in. This one was offered prior to the album release, quasi as an appetizer. Very appealing, what finally kept me close to the band, definitely a highlight.

They are starting the album with the title track, powerful, diversified, and provided with fine vocal arrangements. This makes it quite easy to stay on task. The entire album is arranged as a well thought out chain of songs with immediate transitions. There's little AOR sentiment to state too, soundwise this is comparable to the likes of Arabs In Aspic and Enchant in parts. Excellent guitar work on the dynamic Bloodmoon, some balladesque moments like on I See It In Your Eyes won't be missed too on the other hand. And the melancholic A Mo(u)rning serves the icing on the cake. Superb excursion overall, fine compositions, alternating in tempo and mood all over. I will keep an eye on their future live activity, that's for sure.