Here we have CRIMSON FIRE a power metal band from Greece; more specifically Kallithea, Attica for those interested. I'm not going to lie, this is pretty stock standard, cookie cutter power metal. However, despite not really doing anything unique or pushing any boundaries they still managed to write some catchy tunes. The secret of power metal is that even if your band hasn't one original bone in it's composition you can absolutely compensate for that with good hooks, catchy choruses and fun solos and this album checks all three of those off. So while this isn't mind blowing or anything, it is fairly enjoyable and it does just enough to keep me engaged.

Before I get into the good stuff I want to talk about songs like "On the Edge", "Set the Night on Fire", and "Chasing Time". How much you enjoy these will be entirely predicated on whether or not you like 80s heavy metal. If yes maybe you'll enjoy that, but even then I have an asterisk to add. While some of the melodies are undeniably strong there's something off about the performance. Maybe it's hurt by the production, but the band sounds very tired and occasionally flat. It's energetic Heavy/Power metal that I want to enjoy more than I do, but it just feels so generic in certain ways that it's hard to care.

The big question I end up asking is; homage or intentional imitation? Seriously are these guys just stuck in the 80s so much that to them this is new and refreshing? Or if they completely are 100% committed to this genre and all it's quirks I applaud them. It's not really for me, but for people who enjoy this kind of straight forward 80s inspired heavy/power metal this should at least be a fun album. As for the songs, actually "Judas" and "Don't Fall from the Skie" make quite a nice one two punch of heavy hitting power metals, which makes it disappointing when the rest of the album really does fall out of the sky. I mean the tempo mostly slows down for the rest of the album and I feel like in later songs like "Sold My Soul" and "Chasing Time" the band gets less heavy and way more mid tempo which just isn't my jam.

There's some stuff that I enjoyed on this album, but unfortunately it's let down by poor production and flat performances all around. This band has plenty of potential and I'd love to see them write an entire album of songs like "Don't Fall from the Skie", maybe with a better vocalist too. I'm sorry I couldn't not say anything. He's competent, but his tone is just not working for me. It's really nasally and slightly flat a lot of the time. This was an album I wanted to like more than I did, but I can appreciate their ability to write decent hooks. If that's enough for you, check this out.

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