Crow 7 - Light in my dungeon

With „Light in my dungeon“ the german meldodic rockers Crow 7 published their second full length album after their2006 output „The Poison“.

The band describes their style as back to the 80's with modern elements direct from hell an with lyrice that bring your way back to life. Sounds interesting...so let's start direct into the album.

The Album, that dark but stylish cover artwork hits the eyes immediately, will be opened with the tile track. Keyboard meet guitars in a way of better Domain. Responsible for the melodic but also hoarse vocalse is Corbin Eved, who gives this song a proper dose of power. Amazing refrain underlined with the female voice of Aladiah Leak. Song with no frills, always melodic but powerful. Meanwhile there exists a video of this song that is leaned to cult horror films like Blade and is not really capable to sensitive people.

Generally we can say that the deark, horror-inspired concept stands in opposition to the melodic music arrangements. This offers an interesting mixture that I didn't know before so far.

Similar start „Heal your wounds“. Hard guitar licks of guitarist Seth Aban. Powerful drum sound of drummer Janus Mantus. The vocals lie deeper here what brings the song a higher degree of hardness. Nice guitar solo between and again a refrain to remember mark this speedy smasher in tradition of melodic heroes like Jaded Heart or even Alice Cooper.

After this „Deadly crime“ starts slower. The vocals are getting better and better and are supported sometimes from dark sequences in between. So it underlines the horror base without fearing the listener. Wonderful guitar work and the pumping bass of Gideon Vanth don't give us time to think about if this song is a semi-ballad or not. Cause of the musical arrangements for me the best song so far.

„On the lane“ opens with a short piano part but guitars, drums and bass kill the key instrument soon . Growl elements are plugged into the vocals here too. Corbin Eved heighten his voice into a vocal rage. An expression of hopelessness and pain. The singer knows how to express different vocal moods and owns a strong timbre with high recognition value. The keyboard despairingly tries to break through in some passages again but in the end it does't have a chance against the present and brilliant instrumental work of it's other colleagues.

Spheric entrance in „Watchout the Claws“, interrupted by a riff attack. Remembers me a bit to a band called Inmoria or maybe Morgana Lefay. Yes.....well I am thinking all the time about parallels in Corbins voice. I think...here I am right. All in all a quite hard song with atmospheric, dark refrain.

Straight forward without mercy, no instument breaks out. A dark masterpiece with equal rights and without any frills. It burns your ass !

„Name the liar“ is more playful. A real hardrocker with painting keyboard in the back. A track in midtempo with different sound effects like gun shots, sirens and so on. This brings the song off the road of straightness but it fits to the lyric concept. Simple done....or maybe even not.

The essential ballad follows with „Wall 'round my heart“. A ballad like it has to be in melodic bands. Slower vocals meet piano meet elegian guitars. Not exaggerated cheesy but with enough emotions to assure our world of women. Doesn't hurt you and with it's warmth it won't let you perish.

Bass based start in „Number of life“. Finally we can hear Aladiah again some times. The keyboards bring the song near to Domain again. Full of harmonies, but guitar orientated. A change of male/female art of singing as a sequence in between leans the song together with dreaming guitar licks a seperate note. Powerful and mighty the song ends.

„Rumours ground“ grows with a power guitar riff. Again a more speedful track. We can find out an affinity here to White Lion in their early days. Built straight with great refrain. The hammond organ spins in the backyard, rhythm guitars carry the song to the solo. Good song. Easy...but not uninteresting in it's structure.

„Who will save us now ?“ - No one has to be saved, cause the song delivers a brilliant performance in songwriting. From native to midtempo and with a refrain to die for. Background shouts change the harmonically mood occasionally but doesn't anticipate the definitely live-capable song structure. Adapted to sing with.

Very heavy we are heading to the end with „Water into wine“. The drums push the song and the hard guitar riffs do the rest. A refrain that is more not compatible for the masses. The hardest track of the compete album. Very metallic. The fist class of the musicians will be shown here again with intense. Without needless rubbish...only straight to the end.

And the end follows signiticantly with „Out“. Amazing synthie passage in the beginning. Again five minutes of art in melodic music. The synths appear again and again and leans the song an own progressive touch. A speedy bouncer, partly hard, partly dreaming. A guitar solo to get on your knees and a refrain to shake your head round up „Light in my dungeon“ with style.

Rarely an album could satisfy me like this second output of Crow 7. Sure..in the line of some well known melodic acts, but the outstanding voice and the sophisticated concept bring a well tasting and personally touch to this album. There could be a bit more improvement in the production and female singer Aladiah should be more present. So there lies much more potential in the following bands work that can give us even more enthusiasm in the future. It should also be told that all the band members use pseudonyms what fits with their mystic and dark outfit.

I am sure that Crow 7 have the high class to break through in shortest time. Let's hope they will !

Points:  9/10

Review by Kerb

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