In 1988, Crimson Glory released one helluva "different" album, Transcendence. It showcased mastery of many of the primary devices of late 80's power metal, but relied heavily on space imagery. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a "helluva" lot different, but those silver masks sure do look funny. Anyway, back to the music.

Honestly, the only songs on this album I've given multiple listens to are the first three: "Lady of Winter", "Red Sharks", and "Painted Skies". However, the unbelievable coolness of these songs alone is worth the price of the album. The rest of the album doesn't suck utterly, but after such a kick-ass 1-2-3 punch, it just kind of falls flat. The album has what one could call a very "crisp" production, very slick. Very late-80's. Rather than increasing the cheese factor, though, the production adds greatly to the epic, majestic nature of the albums' shining moments. Seriously, those songs that kick ass, they REALLY kick ass! Oh yeah, and I guess you might wonder about the vocals...this Midnight guy kicks ass, he often goes into a near-King Diamond register, but MUCH less rat-like and whinny sounding. And he doesn't live in the stratosphere, his midrange is really his strong point. So to make a long story short, this album is an absolute must have for any fans of epic power metal. Especially if you get bored with barbarian warrior imagery.

This review is credited to:
Jace A. Bartet