I have to say, for better or worse, it is always enjoyable to be able to review the first full length release of any band in hindsight whether I enjoyed the band or not. Enter today's Austrian Melo-Death band CROWORD and their first full length release The Great Beyond, the follow up to their original critically acclaimed EP Manifest of Mortal Sickness. Inspired by both the original, great for bearer of death metal that was the Swedish Death metal scene and taking a particular note from the Gothenburg wave of metal in the 90s, it is here that we both literally and metaphorically venture into the great beyond of this album. So without further ado, let us dive right in.

In sum there are 12 tracks, the opening track "An Inanimate Impression" being a 1 minute opening track filled with ambient noise that leads into the first real track "Message of the Dead", the opening of which is truthfully somewhat uninspired. However, beyond this in the first verse we are greeted with the purest strain of Gothenburg greatness. When it comes to melo-death, it can be hard to create a beat and tempo that is unique and interesting, and admittedly this track falls into this pitfall, yet, as stated, I do not hold this against the band because of the nature of melodic death metal. Come the verse we are greeted with a slower and more grandiose sound, and cliche as it is it gets the job done and done very well. It is a strong track, yet lacking in originality when viewing it as a whole and it never feels like it varies much from start to end, and it is possible to listen to it and feel like you never listened to a song as much as it pains me to say. Next I will bring up "The Mountain", a track I have become a massive sucker for. Opening with a short yet well put acoustic sequence, the track then progresses into a cacophony of strongly stringed together riffs that dispel the fears one might feel after listening to the admittedly lukewarm

"Message of the Dead". Every moment has a highlight of uniqueness and everything feels new, and there is an incredibly well done emphasis on the melody of the Melo-Death aspect of this song. It ends in a surprisingly abrupt manner considering the progression of the song that was incredibly strong, perhaps having been better suited to melodically and gracefully taper off in the way it began with the acoustic passage, but barring this minor personal grievance it is easily a contender for a top track on the album. Of course, the next two tracks go together thematically and will also do so in this review, and those two tracks being none other than "Wall of Blackness" parts 1 and 2. This combined with the fact they are nearly the same track, having the same passages with differing sounds up until the end of part 2. The second track really well encapsulates a sense of grandiose and finality befitting of the final track, but the placement and inclusion of part 1 and the fact it is purely instrumental as well as the dragged out opening of part 2 somewhat dampers the effect. It could have been handled better I feel, as it was really well done for the final track but making it 2 parts and making 2/3rds of the song the same instrumental passage looping creates a negative effect.

Finally I will close with the original track, "Manifest of Mortal Sickness". It does contain some great riffs, yet it also falls into a sort of pit fall regarding a lack of variation for the first half of the song. They are great riffs and general beats, yet the lack of variation cannot be overlooked. While containing an interesting acoustic stretch and very up tempo riffs and solos that are well done, that cannot change the fact that one really good riff should not make up for the fact of there being one over-arching riff. Admittedly, the album is well done for being a first full length release. Overall I would give it a solid 7 or 8, yet it deserves only about that for a somewhat stale feeling and sound. Of course, everyone must start somewhere. Certainly worth a listen to see how it is liked, yet also certainly not for everyone.