CRYSTAL BALL
“CRYSTALLIZER”
Album Review By Iron Mathew

9.5/10

Crystal Ball are a melodic power metal band from Switzerland formed in 1998, releasing their debut album ‘In The Beginning’ in 1999. Celebrating their twentieth year as a band, Crystal Ball are set to release their tenth studio album, ‘Crystallizer’ in the summer of 2018. Over the past two decades, Crystal Ball have shared a stage with bands such as Krokus, Freedom Call, Primal Fear and Axel Rudi Pell, and have established themselves as one of the premiere power metal bands to have emerged from Switzerland.

If you like your metal on the harder side of the European power metal genre, then you have gotta check out the tenth offering from Swiss metallers Crystal Ball. Fusing elements of hard rock with their power metal roots, ‘Crystallizer’ is a bombastic fifty two minute thrill ride. Launching the ride is the electrifying title song ‘Crystallizer’, one hundred percent infectious and one of the hardest hard rock offerings ever. The addictive chorus chant of “crystallizer” is just awesome and is gonna be chanted loud and proud. Energy levels go through the roof with the high intensity thunder ‘Curtain Call’. Pounding like a racing heartbeat, ‘Curtain Call’ is a superb mix of power metal and hard rock. The opening double salvo from the Swiss five piece is like the finale to a fireworks display, spectacularly loud and mind blowing…and yet we still have eleven more songs to go! ‘Alive For Evermore’ plants the foot down even harder on the pedal and romps along with urgency and, dare I say it, a little aggression. Not too much, just enough to give it a more punchy and in your face feel. The more melodic side to Crystal Ball comes forth as ‘S.O.S.’ takes flight and is a masterpiece of the hardest, most catchiest hard rock. Is ‘Crystallizer’ a contender for Album Of The Year? Quite possibly.

Slowing the pace a little, yet increasing the heaviness, ‘Crazy In The Night’ aggressively foot stomps its way forth. Crystal Ball are proving themselves masters of the catchy sing a long style choruses and while this album is not gonna break new ground, it is going to find its way to the top of many playlists the world over. ‘Crystallizer’ (the album) is punchy, infectious and a relentless romp of catchiness. Without any pause for a breather, ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ keeps the foot well and truly on the monitor, with its big riffing bombastic attitude and in your face bluntness. At the halfway point through the album, a breather is served up, courtesy of the ballad ‘Let Her Go With Love’. A much more soulful vocal performance, mellow and strolling rather than striding, ‘Let Her Go With Love’ is a top notch power ballad. One of the best songs on the album is the ferocious, yet melodic ‘Beauty In The Beast’. Galloping at pace, it is thunderous and urgent, pulsating with addictiveness and punching harder than a heavyweight boxing champion. After twenty years, Crystal Ball have lost none of their energy or passion and are delivering an electrifying album. Crashing in heavier than a wrecking ball, ‘Death On Holy Ground’ displays a mild hint of doom metal riffage, alongside the heaviest foot stomp this side of Black Sabbath. ‘Death On Holy Ground’ is a departure from the bands familiar “foot on the monitor” style, but boy does it deliver a brutal kick.

There are two bonus songs included on the Digipack release, the first is ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’, and to be honest, that is exactly what you will get with this album… The song however, is heavy hard rock of the highest order, and easily stands shoulder to shoulder with anything their fellow countrymen Gotthard have offered. Gotthard have been leading lights in the Swiss hard rock genre since their formation in 1992, and along with Shakra, Crystal Ball have followed the musical direction set by the Swiss legends. The second bonus song is a second ballad. Get your lighters out and hold them high as ‘Exit Wounds’ wanders a slow swagger. A second chance for a breather as the album heads for its end with only two songs left. ‘Dusty Deadly’ is a furious foray of thundering hard rock, intertwined with power metal. Bombastic and big riffing, ‘Dusty Deadly’ is mildly aggressive, just like many of the songs on the album have been. Crystal Ball manage to blend just the right amount of aggression, hard rock, power metal and infectiousness to make ‘Crystallizer’ (the album) a cracking listen. Rounding the album off in style is the anthemic, foot stomping ‘Symphony Of Life’, bringing the curtain down on a thrilling ride of bombasticness and punchiness.

Overall, ‘Crystallizer’ is a thrilling blend of power metal and hard rock, and with its sing a long style choruses, you’ll be singing along from start to finish.

TRACKLIST

Crystallizer
Curtain Call
Alive For Evermore
S.O.S.
Crazy In The Night
Gentleman’s Agreement
Let Her Go With Love
Beauty In The Beast
Death On Holy Ground
Satisfaction Guaranteed (Digipack bonus)
Exit Wound (Digipack bonus)
Dusty Deadly
Symphony Of Life

https://www.crystal-ball.ch/en/
https://www.facebook.com/crystalballrocks/

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