Not too often anymore do I discover a band or an album that thoroughly impresses me. It seems many have a great song or two, while the other songs leave little to be desired and the rest of the album is mired in mediocrity. This certainly isn't the case here. That's not to say some songs don't stand out more than others, but throughout multiple listens of the album, there isn't one song that struck me as boring or failed to capture my attention, which is rare. I even come to expect that from my long-time favorites these days.
For what seems like a little known band, Crosswind nailed it on this album with a big sound. Vicious Dominion possesses a great mix of modern power and speed metal with some old-school roots. Throw in a bit of epic symphonic elements and what you get is a solid nine-track album almost forty five minutes in length. The guitar work on this album is great. The leads and solos find a great balance between melodic and shred, which is complimented by a tight rhythm section. The punchy palm-muted guitar triplets and sixteenth notes, and that aggressive double-bass that pounds your eardrums is all there, without overdoing it, and without the songs losing their melody.
The vocals are also quite impressive, providing a great range with well sustained highs and a lot of power and emotion. There is a lot of layered vocals and harmonies that give the songs more of an epic feel especially on the choruses, somewhat reminiscent of Rhapsody, though, perhaps not on such a grand scale. All of the songs send chills down my spine and the passion in the singing definitely help to conjure those feelings. The use of symphonic sounds contribute to that epic or big feel yet the music remains focused on the metal, not becoming cheesy for lack of a better term, nor does the music lose its heaviness.
Of course, along side a great studio performance, great production and mixing play a role in the feel and overall quality of an album. Nothing here sounds synthetic or overly produced or tampered with; every instrument, including vocals, can all be heard clearly.
Always on the never ending quest to discover great metal bands, I expected shit but found gold. My three favorite songs on the album are "Aeons," "The Order," and "Legion Lost," but all songs are unique and provide a great listen. Greeks Crosswind, have forged their own amazing sound here on this album but haven't meddled with the formula (not that there is a real formula) to creating a great modern power metal album. I look forward to hearing more great metal from these talented musicians in the future.
Whether you enjoy power metal or speed metal, aggressive or melodic, or perhaps you're unsure of what you like, you should give Crosswind's Vicious Dominion a listen. It's an impressive one!
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=6tH4Sxr4Ses&list=OLAK5uy_nFGGxpd8ttdRmNCH54pwHZYKvIic2Q1h4&index=2
Official promo video: youtube.com/watch?v=yBZ1VJqtvGg
