CRAVING is a metal band from Germany who formed in 2006. 'Call of the Sirens' is their fourth full length album; they have also released two EPs and a demo. CRAVING's sound can best be described as mixing melodic death, black and folk metal into one big melting pot of sound.  The mixing of these various styles doesn't make the album seem disjointed-the song writing is smooth and the album has decent pacing. Overall, the tempo of the album is mid paced to fast, favoring the aggression of extreme metal with the colorful flavorings of a more melodic realm.

I wouldn't call it symphonic per say but keyboards are used in abundance-and they are fantastic. They enhance the songs without taking over the other instruments or covering them up.  Wit that being said, they are definitely integral to the songs and were they removed, there would be a noticeable difference.  The album opens with folk laden clean on 'Mich Packt Die Wut,' but quickly becomes rather speedy. The blackened vocals aren't overly extreme and fit the music well. The drums are pretty damn furious and add a lot of grit and guile to the song, even when it gets heavy with melody.

The band is at their best when they fully embrace all shades of their musical personality and dig deep into their sound.  'Death March' is a perfect example of what I mean and probably my favorite song on the album.  It is smartly paced and the melodies are balanced between melodeath and more folky instrumentation.  The vocals and drums keep it firmly planted on the extreme side of the spectrum.  The chorus is catchy as hell too!

Of course, the band can show off their ability to pull off straight up bangers.  'Blood Ov Franconia,' is a speedy, unrelenting song where the melodies flow with the same aggression of the rhythm section and vocals.  Despite the more forward thinking attitude of this song, the band still shoves in a catchy chorus and fills every nook and cranny with a melodic hook. A nice surprise in the later half of the album.

The last two tracks are bonus covers and they sound pretty good.  I have not heard either original so if they were not listed as being such, I would have never noticed they were someone else's songs so I'll say the band definitely makes them their own. All in all, "Call of the Sirens' is a very solid album that, while not mind blowing or reinventing any wheels, has its heart in the right place and has enough variety and dynamics to warrant repeated listens.