METAL LIFE CRISIS is a Progressive Heavy Metal quartet that hails from Belmar, New Jersey, USA. “Theatre Of Fire”, which came to us on November 7th 2023, is their sophomore album. The debut, “All When Youth Was King” was released on April 15th 2018, so there has been quite a long time between the two. It is time to find out what I think of the music and the album.

Yes, of course I have been listening to “Theatre Of Fire” a few times before I started to write (or rather, type) this review. And to frank, it has not been an easy road for me. Let’s start with the music that METAL LIFE CRISIS plays. It is Heavy metal with progressive tendencies and breaks. That to me usually sounds like a success, as it adds several dimensions to the experience you are having.

I do have a problem with “Theatre Of Fire”, though. The music is too slow, just drags on. Every moving vehicle has an accelerator. Be it a human, a bicycle, a car or a motorbike, you can speed up. If you wish to go really slow, you are creating Doom Metal. Well, METAL LIFE CRISIS just stays one mile an hour above that kind of speed. The good thing about going slow is that everything you play and do is being done with a big dose of deliberation. The lesser thing is that you could be prone to losing the interest of the listener if you’re music is not way above reproach.

And that, my friends, is where METAL LIFE CRISIS is lacking on “Theatre Of Fire”. All the music that is available here is quite okay, but really, nothing more than that. At least in my book. The ideas they have are quite good, but when it comes to forming the tracks, the band has opted to colour the songs within very narrow boundaries. They need to lash out, be adventurous and daring, and diversify with their speeds, intensities and enthusiasm. What I hear now sounds like a forced effort, not like a lot of fun. And as music is emotion, that is not good.

I feel there is a lot more body and soul in METAL LIFE CRISIS than they are showcasing on “Theatre Of Fire”. They are good instrumentalists, and the vocals are quite alright too. When they stop framing their emotions and dare to let them loose, I am sure METAL LIFE CRISIS can produce a very good album. Unfortunately they haven’t done that yet, making “Theatre Of Fire” a rather mediocre experience.