Heavy frickin metal! Hell yeah Crystal Tears is one of the longest lasting classic / power metal acts ever emerged in Greece. And though so far they where quite unlucky with their collaborations with labels I hope the new album under the roof of brand new label Pure Steel Records gets the attention it deserves.
Crystal Tears is the band formed by drummer and composer Chrisafis Tantanozis. Numerous line-up changes occurred from their conception back in 1997. They have managed to release several pieces of work (Skies Of Eternity in 1999, Promoworks in 2000 and Embrace The Horror in 2004). Also interesting to mention that the band has supported many known acts such as Jag Panzer and WASP (alongside their numerous appearances).
Choirs Of Immortals is the first album with a female singer. Don't expect them to become a gay act - they didn't became jealous of Nightwish / Epica / After Forever and blah blah. This gal can kick ass. Natasa Pandreia brings in mind early Doro (Warlock Era) / Zed Yago. Hell yeah (twice) I can't recall the last time I heard such a powerfull voice. And what about the music? Well in my opinion this album is by far the best effort of the band so far. Wonderfull compositions with many catchy riffs / refrains, power-driver rhythm section with bombastic and flashy solos. Don't get me wrong - Crystal Tears have not become the new Dream Thater in their league but the improvement between this and their previous works is more than obvious.
It's really positive watching a band emerging from the underground scene with a lot of hard work. For me Crystal Tears is a fine example of such a case. Fans of classic metal should definitely check them out.