There is a new fragrance in the music of deeply rooted to the NWOBHM Crosswind. They have strong affinity to the speed music territories. And it seems that the band rediscovers progressive metal as a whole. Crosswind do not hide that their new EP presents a new trend in which they will work in future.
A fortiori with the first song “Nephilim Rising” as a composition and as a sound there would not be other comparison besides this one to “The Warning” ’84 - the full length debut of Queensryche. The music of Crosswind is high quality speed metal which prog arteries penetrate into heavy metal. The vocals rather remind of the unpolished in ’84 diamond voice of Geoff Tate.
The next track “Weavers of Nightmares” continues this approach. The traditional for the band speed manner in the veins of Blind Guardian here is turned to melodic-rhythmical power, reminding more about Edguy and Tobias Sammet’s projects. Although the song “Awakening” is bathed in art it has taken lots of the classic riff of Running Wild. It represents the tradition in the music of Crosswind. There are some musical quotations and a dose of overproducing in this release. But the balance between melody and strong guitar sound is well found. Maybe to answer the question what is the current development’s direction of Crosswind this EP ends with a cover song of Queensryche.
Crosswind are an ambitious band with a self-confidence that is completely well-deserved. They combine brilliant melodies and aggressive metal sound. We expect more own style and more refined singing in their next album. With the proper support of a label they could do a lot! Here we have a promising band that is worth checking out!
