Album Reviews : Crimsonfire – Arise To Chaos

Okay, I’m going to open this review by saying much of what follows may come across as harsh, but if you’re going to review music then it should be honest and upfront, shouldn’t it? Everything mentioned in this review is ultimately towards the benefit of Crimsonfire. Take from it what you will. So with that being said, let’s begin.

While ‘Arise to Chaos’ begins on a decent note with “Lies Within”, it’s thankfully bumped up a notch once following track “Winterstorm” begins. I have nothing against opening track “Lies Within” as such, and it does possess some solid production work, but it doesn’t particularly inspire or give a sense of anything greater than mild entertainment, either. And let’s face it these are the facets which comprise what makes up good, memorable power metal. If I’m to be frank, “Lies Within” didn’t come across as anything more than Angra influenced fodder. It’s by no means a terrible track, but it’s also by no means a particularly remarkable or unique one, either.

Much of the influence behind ‘Arise to Chaos’ could be attributed to the likes of Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia, Iron Maiden and Stratovarius, though unfortunately Crimsonfire lack the originality or appeal here to truly aspire to those heights. It’s a shame too because there is clearly a strong level of talent behind this band, and it is prevalent as you listen through this EP. But in saying that, during the listen-through for ‘Arise to Chaos’ there wasn’t anything that really stood on its own, aside from say Anthony Tabone’s solos.

There seems to be a distinct lack of innovation with ‘Arise to Chaos’ that is disconcerting. And just as the album begins on a shaky note, it unfortunately ends on one also with the disjointed and wildly inconsistent mess that is “Last Horizon”. This song never seems to know what exactly it’s trying to achieve. From the inappropriate and misplaced levels of guitar distortion at the start of the song that serve no real purpose in being there, the track then continues for the rest of the three-odd minutes to bounce around from odd couplings of synth-work and drums to a rhythm that is more-often-than-not out of time with frontman Louie Gorgievski’s otherwise solid vocal performance. The whole of “Last Horizon” comes across as out of place with the rest of the EP. Whereas the majority of ‘Arise to Chaos’ is polished to the nth degree, “Last Horizon” feels like a last minute decision to transition something ‘different’ into the mix. While I fancy myself to be one to push for that ‘something different’ in terms of metal music – not only to add to the appeal of a given album and band, but also to further its ability to stand-out amongst the rest – in the case of “Last Horizon” it’s a misguided attempt at best. If this song had been anywhere else I probably could have forgiven it, but on a polished power metal album? Not so much.

Considering this is Crimsonfire’s first release in almost a decade, I expected more with ‘Arise to Chaos’. And while it does possess promising moments such as the midway mark to the closing sections of “Lies Within”, as well as the opening to “Oceans Collide” and Tabone’s beautiful-but-short guitar solos that flutter throughout the mix, those alone aren’t enough. With its sound that continues to plod on rather than excite, ‘Arise to Chaos’ sadly feels uninspired.

Band: Crimsonfire
Album: Arise To Chaos (EP)
Year: 2014
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Independent
Origin: Melbourne, VIC

www.crimsonfire.com

Tracklist:
1. Lies Within
2. Winterstorm
3. Oceans Collide
4. Last Horizon

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