Crimson Glory is a 80's US Metal Band that lot of people know cause of their half face silver masks.
After a brilliant self titled debut the band released their second album and masterpiece Transcendence in 1989.
The album opens with the song Lady of Winter, a midtempo rocker with a magnificiant refrain that hooks in the ears at once. The trademarks, high vocals that have never been heard before and brilliant guitar work continue through the whole album.
Following is a song called Red sharks, a fast played track with political background and more breaks in the guitar tempo. In the midpart of the song the song takes a short interruption with anchorman shouts and guitars...fantastic. After this the band slows down with a semi ballad called Painted skies. This song and the song Lonely are typical for that time, cause every US Band in the later 80's needed songs for the ladies and songs that got the chance to be aired by the mainstream stations. But Crimson Glory created that songs not too cheesy, they breathe also real rockin vibes with surprising breaks in it. Where dragons rule is a straight forward midtempo rocker, not bad but the only song that I would skip all the time. The band tries to put a fantasy touch in the song, well done but not a killer. After the ballad Lonely follows the best track of the album: Burning Bridges. An epic song with brilliant guitar hooks and vocals that are not of this world. In the middle of the song the song breaks to a keyboard part with real dark vocals. If you hear that part you cant do anything else, just only listen with closed eyes and you hope that will never stop.
But it stops and the song ends like it started and leaves you speechless. The following Eternal World is another fast played song that kicks you out of your thoughts that Burning Bridges left you with. Amazing drumparts are dominating this song. Hands in the air!! Transcendence ends the album with a spacey sound and transcends you finally to another world.

This album is one of the best ever recorded US Metal albums of the 80's. And my hope was to see that band in original line up
on one of the traditional metal festivals.
But that dream cannot come true -  Vocalist Midnight died in July 2009.   R:I.P. Midnight - we miss you !!

Points:  10/10

review by Kerb