ALBUM REVIEW: Crimson – Volturian
Clean vocals paired with heavy guitars and drums definitely makes for a contrasting sound, but modern metal band VOLTURIAN took this one step further by adding some classic electronic sounds to the mix. Their debut album Crimson, released 24th April 2020, takes all these elements and merges them together to create some gripping new content for old and new fans to listen to.
To prepare the listener for what is to come in the album, the first track Crimson Dust acts more as an introduction to the techno/electronic element that features throughout. This sets the tone for the rest of the release, and plays on what this band is clearly good at, creating contrast. This is clear when the next track, New Life, gets into its fast paced drum beats and down tuned guitars. The elegant vocals from lead singer Federica Lanna create a pleasing tune throughout, backed up from great unclean vocals, it really gives the track a variation that makes for an engaging sound. The fast drum beats from Alberto Mezzanotte create a really cool backing for the guitar and bass riffs throughout the hook and chorus, making it very memorable.
Throughout the whole album, keyboards add a depth to VOLTURIAN’s distinct sound, whether they are creating New Wave or Gothic elements to the tunes. Federico Mondelli, who plays guitars and keyboards in the band as well as being a key songwriter, brings death metal oriented guitar riffs to the tracks, adding to the dimension of the songs, and creating a almost contradicting sound to the electronic elements of this band’s style. The track, Broken, opens with heavy guitar and bass riffs which make for a beat that will leave you nodding your head along. The techno/synth backing and Lanna’s angelic vocals, again, make for a catchy song which demonstrate how these, at first glance, opposite musical elements can work together to form a truly well thought out, original sound.
Some of the riffs in songs such as Between the Sleepers, sound similar to the likes of ALESTORM, due to their melodies resembling that classic pirate metal sound. Yet, this song in particular stands out on its own due to the unforgettable hook and chorus which hold a tune that will be stuck in your head all day. One thing that is slightly noticeable about this album is that some of the songs can lack distinction from each other, This is obviously not the case for all the tracks, but there are some which could have used a different pattern, possibly including some unclean vocals paired with Lanna‘s cleans, rather than them being separate sections.
Overall, this album is a good example of how different elements of metal music can be mixed to create something interesting and unique. The groovy melodies, heavy riffs, nice vocals and enjoyable beats have definitely made for a great debut album from VOLTURIAN.
Rating: 8/10
Crimson is set for release April 24th via Scarlet Records.
Like VOLTURIAN on Facebook.