CREMATORY
"Believe"
(Nuclear Blast; 2000)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
"Believe," Crematory's eighth CD, plows the same goth-metal earth as To
Die For's melodic "All Eternity" and Theatre Of Tragedy's recent "Musique" experiments with darkwave and
electronica. Crematory keep one foot squarely in the past by retaining their classic atmospheric death
sound yet manage to put one foot squarely in the future with an emphasis on keyboards and a variety of
vocals.
By combining gruff male vocals with blissfully beautiful female vocals and dual vocalization
Crematory are working with a 'trendy' sound, but still manage to make a disc that sounds as
European as any CD on the market today. Despite the overabundance of crisp guitars and lush
keys I was overwhelmed with a sense of sterile-ness and overarching clinical feel about "Believe" as
though true metal passion was lacking.
"The Fallen" is the catchiest track as it blends heavy guitars, ornate keyboards, and clean male
vocals into an intoxicating and haunting mix. Songs like "Take" and "Endless" utilize power
metal-like and propulsive guitars that are so important to metal.
"Unspoken," although relatively staid, is one of the more effective songs (for whatever reason I don't
really know - I just like it and will forever have trouble explaining why I like it).
"Believe" is good, but if the bubbling sounds of synthesizers and slick keyboards bother you then
you'll want to pass. However, it must be noted that the production is stellar.
"Believe" was produced by Gerhard Magin at Communication Studios.
For more information visit www.crematory.de.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All
rights reserved.
Revised: 14 Oct 2024 14:01:57 -0400
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