DISCOGRAPHY
IN SILENCE THEY MARCH
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Release date: 2000-12-11. Catalogue number: Heavy Fidelity 4. EAN number: 7350013660047. Vocals, guitars and keyboards by Mikael Dahl. Guitars by Jonathan Nyberg. Bass guitars by Claes Wikander. Drums by Kujtim Gashi. Production, mixing and mastering by Crystal Eyes and Detlef Mohrmann at Studio Mohrmann 2000-09-25 to 2000-10-08. Cover artwork and logotype by Kristian Wåhlin. Logotype design by Andreas Götesson. Photos by Johan Bjerke. Design and layout by Tommy Dahl. Initially released by Crazy Life Music. Re-released 2005-02-01 by Heavy Fidelity. Also released under license in Brazil by Rock Brigade Records. |
Hard Sounds 66/100
Un anno dopo il loro debut "World Of Black And Silver" i Crystal Eyes propongono il secondo disco, un album che fondamentalmente segue le orme del suo predecessore, pur presentando notevoli aspetti di crescita. Lo stile generale rimane quello, un Heavy Power di matrice mista, pesantemente influenzato dai Grandi della seconda metà degli anni '80, mentre si evidenzia da subito un notevole miglioramento nella produzione, che questa volta riesce a dare il giusto peso ad ogni membro della band. Questo permette di valutare in maniera più attenta la voce di Dahl, che si rivela essere, se non un talento raro, quanto meno un vocalist capace di buone prestazioni, dall'estensione superiore a quanto non potesse apparire sul primo disco. Più che altro, il suo limite sembra essere rappresentato da una certa rigidità nel modulare la voce: considerato che spesso si muove, per questo motivo, sul limite della stonatura, pur senza varcare mai il limite stesso, il risultato è quell'impronta di particolarità che permea la band, conferendole un aspetto di specifica identità, di distinzione netta tra band dai generi consimili. Il songwriting appare più maturo, capace di sfumature che riempiano il suono, distanziando quel senso di manchevolezza che faceva un po' sorridere sul loro primo lavoro; in compenso si fanno più evidenti i richiami a gruppi del calibro dei GammaRay, ma anche una cornice più tipicamente Hard Rock (sempre immancabilmente tardo ottantiana) che rende meno piatto l'ascolto. Infine fanno la loro comparsa dei passaggi lenti, ottimo contrasto ad un sound in generale più aggressivo, sebbene non sempre più veloce, di quanto sfoggiato nel primo disco. BY: Gianclaudio Plebani
Metal Heart 8/10
Boråsbaserade Crystal eyes andra platta In silence they march släpptes i slutet av år 2000 och det här är en skiva som följer samma struktur som förra. Det som kännetecknar Crystal eyes är dom väldigt glada och trallvänliga melodierna och dom finns också här. Inget nytt alltså. Om ni läst min recension på deras förra skiva World of black and silver så kommer ni förmodligen ihåg att jag klagade på både sången och produktionen. Detta har åtgärdats till viss del, tyvärr inte fullt ut. Mikael Dahl har vässat sina stämband till denna skiva men han har helt klart en hel del kvar att lära och förbättra. Produktionen är hyffsat mycket bättre än förra, dock så saknar den fortfarande styrka och kraft. Det finns ingen attack i instrumenten vilket jag värderar ganska högt. Denna gång kan man iallafall hitta en aningen tyngre låtar i form utav "Cursed and damned" och "In silence they march". Gillade man deras förra skiva så lovar jag att ni inte kommer bli besvikna på denna heller. En ganska träffande beskriving av musiken (som jag läste i någon recension) är "Happy metal". Det är inte i många låtar man får beskåda några mörkare tongångar utan till största del är det glada melodislingor. En liten komisk sak är att dom flesta texter handlar om krig, samtidigt som låtarna är väldigt glada och uppåt. En aningen bättre än deras förra album World of black and silver. Allt från produktion och sång till låtmaterial håller lite högre klass. Om dom fortsätter i den här stilen så kommer dom bli Sveriges nästa stora power metal band. BY: David Noaksson
Metal Heart
"In Silence They March" is the second album from the swedish Crystal Eyes , recorded at Studio Mohrmann, Bochum (Germany) . The band consists of 4 members : drums , twin guitars & bass (the bass player plays keyboards as well) . This is Melodic Power Metal done right with influences from bands like Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian and others... while still forging their own unique sound . This CD contains 12 songs and great tracks include the opener "Time Flight" , the fast "Cursed & Damned" and "The Grim Reaper's Fate" in which the guitar man gets real wild . The dueling & galloping guitars of Iron Maiden are reflected in this song . "The Grim Reaper's Fate" is followed by the acoustic track "The Undead King" filled with Blind Guardian-like atmosphere . The epic title track "In Silence They March" is my absolute favourite song. This is a typical Power Metal song filled with riding rhythms and dark lyrics in the vein of Blind Guardian . "Adrian Blackwood" is another fast track with excellent guitar work and power riffs a la Running Wild . The singer has a good voice for this type of music and the chorus will stay in your head for hours . The lyrics are fantasy-oriented and the cover artwork is excellent . The production is much better than on "World of Black and Silver" and every instrument is heard clearly on every song . This is Melodic Power Metal rooted in the 80's... fans of Freternia and Power Metal in general will really appreciate this CD. BY: Marina
Metal March 8/10
Finally, the last review from the Crystal Eyes pack I received is finally done! Well, not yet as I'm still writing it, but it will be by the time you read it! So who the hell are Crystal Eyes anyway? You're right, first lets make the introductions in case you haven't read anything I wrote about them nor have you ever heard the name before. They are a Heavy Metal formed back in 1992 and they hail from Sweden. They've released a few number of demos and full-length albums, and you can now find reviews on all of them here in Metal March webzine. The albums, anyway. After 3 reviews I don't know much more I can say about Crystal Eyes that I haven't said before, the only thing I can do is compare all the albums and pick a favourite. It is indeed that simple because they don't change their style, it's pretty much always the same, which is not bad because if you like one of them you'll probably end up liking them all. So what can you expect from "In Silence they March"? First thing I'd like to mention (once again) is the brilliant work done on the cover, probably my favourite from all of them. Back to the music, it's pretty much Heavy Metal with influences from the 80's. All the songs are very simple, just like a poem. Intro, pre-chorus, chorus and that's it. Some people may find it a little dull, but there's just no way you can please everyone. You can also notice some Power Metal influences in a few songs, which makes them a little more catchy sometimes. As for the highlights of this album, there are three songs I was able to pick out which I feel are better than the others, at least to my own personal liking. Songs like "Sons of Odin", "The Grim Reaper's Fate" and "In Silence they March" are all great ways to get to know this album. And that's it, at least for now. All I can do is enjoy all the albums I have and wait for the follow up. What? You don't have any of them yet? What are you still waiting for? BY: Pedro Santos
Metal Mayhem 4/5
Uppföljaren till Crystal Eyes klart godkända debutalbum World Of Black And Silver är nu äntligen här, kraftigt försenad på grund av strul med skivbolaget. Föregångaren led av taskig produktion och bristande sång, två områden som man kan höra klara förbättringar på här. Nu låter trummorna som dom ska, och sången är inte längre så nedmixad som på debuten. Mikael Dahls sång har också utvecklats, och är inte längre en hämsko för bandet. Han låter stundtals till och med lite ondskefull, som i det mörka titelspåret. Vad det gäller själva musiken så har det inte hänt så mycket, då det fortfarande är snabb, melodiös metal i den tyska skolan det handlar om, och riktigt bra sådan också. Låtar som Time Flight, The Grim Reaper's Fate och Adrian Blackwood kommer inte att göra någon anhängare av debutskivan besviken. Den riktigt stora behållningen med skivan är dock att dom denna gång provat en del nya grepp. Den i mitt tycke klart bästa låten är Witch Hunter, som har en stark Heaven And Hell-känsla över sig, vilket känns uppfriskande. Den mörka, episkt klingande titellåten är också ett starkt kort. Odin's Sons bjuder också på en strålande grundmelodi och en stark Running Wild-känsla, vilket aldrig är fel hos mig... Crystal Eyes visar att dom är ett band som utvecklas och har kommit för att stanna. BY: Per-Ola
Metalius 8.5/10
Wie der Zufall so spielt fiel mir das erste Album von den Schweden Crystal Eyes in die Hände. Ein Freund kaufte es in einem Second Hand Laden, schenkte es meiner Freundin die es wiederum mir schenkte. Mir gefiel das Teil auch richtig gut, obwohl es bei der heutigen Melodic Metal Schwemme selten ist das eine Band heraussticht. Das Teil hiess übrigens "World of Black and Silver". Um mehr über die Band zu erfahren surfte ich die Bandpage ab und fragte ob man mir nicht die neue CD schicken könnte um sie in einem Review vorzustellen, und dieser Bitte kam die Band nach. Hiermit liegt also der neuste Output "In Silence they March" vor, und was soll ich sagen? Die Jungs haben nochmal einen grossen Sprung getan. Sie mischen Running Wild mit alten Blind Guardian, geben einen Schuss Stratovarius und Grave Digger dazu und würzen das ganze mit einer grossen Prise Eigenständigkeit. Den sie hören sich keineswegs wie ein Klon an, sondern sind neben "Lost Horizon" wohl das innovativste was Schweden in dieser Art von Musik zu bieten hat. Der Titelsong ist ein Midtempo Kracher vor dem Herrn, der gut auf eine der letzten Grave Digger Scheiben gepasst hätte. Songs wie "Adrian Blackwood" (mit geilem Refrain) oder "The Grim Reaper`s Fate" drücken dann schon mehr auf das Speed Pedal. Die Produktion ist glasklar. Das einzige Manko das ich sehe ist eine gute Chance das nächste Album noch besser zu machen: Krachende Chöre. Vielleicht sollte man mal bei Hansi von Blind Guardian anfragen, den mit amtlichen Chören würden Crystal Eyes auch den Deutschen Markt im Sturm nehmen. Ich hoffe ihr schaut mal auf der Homepage der Band vorbei und downloadet euch die Songs, es lohnt sich! BY: Sebastian
Monster's World Of Metal 7.5/10
Following up to their “World Of Black And Silver” release, my antcipation called for high expectations for their new cd ‘In Silence They March”. It begins with “Time Flight” and “Cursed And Damned”, two speed metal songs consisting of high melodic vocals and double bass drumming with very good dual guitar solos to boot. These two songs songs seem to have an emphasis on choruses with strong backing vocals. Are your anthem type songs in the realms of Helloween. “Sons Of Odin” begins with your Iron Maiden “Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son” acoustic guitar and bass intro that is well suited for those stadium crowd chants and crowd surfing that allows fans to jump around and start singing during the choruses. This sonG doesn’t detach itself from the speed metal mentality. This song can be compared to Rhapsody and Helloween. The feel still remains the same for the songs “The Grim Reaper’s Fate” and “In Silence They March”, strong vocal chants, yet dark lyrics. and choruses still dominate, as do the Iron Maiden influenced melodic guitar solos and catchy guitar riffs. “The Undead King” takes a different direction with a harder and slower paced song with aggressive vocals displaying the Blind Guardian medieval style. With “Adrian Blackwood” is where the fun starts. It is a melodic tune where vocals are straight from the gut. A catchy song with more chants and strong songwriting is involved. A 2-speed song that screams Crystal Eyes’ 80’s influences. As, Mikael Dahl says, can be compared to Running Wild. “Witch Hunter” begins with a evil voice that casually flows into a very 80’s influenced style song. The voice can remind some folks of Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot (don’t shoot me) and the low guitar tuned sounds of Black Sabbath. The rhythm throughout the whole song will get some head banging time in. “The Rising” can be argued to be your basic Crystal Eyes song. Its fast, melodic and a fun song. Great guitar melodies once again can be found with the musicianship getting stronger and stronger. “Knights Of Prey” once again is quite different from the rest. Here you will find a song that is still a fast song but a much more poppier and upbeat song. “Somewhere Over The Sun” is a described as a mid-tempo, melodic yet darker and moodier song. The lyrics here take on a very powerful feel with a legendary tale story behind it a la Helloween and Hammerfall. Finally the cd finishes off with “Winternight”, a beautiful ballad consisting of various styles and parts. Some parts even remind me of Royal Hunt in the Dc Cooper days. In Silence They March is a cd where listeners will see a major improvement has occured within the band's musical abilities. The style is still in the usual Crystal Eyes mode but experimentation has been done by applying their influences within the sounds and structures. The lyrics have seen an improvement and the sound of production is well done and quite loud for any set of speakers. A very strong and well done cd all around. BY: Costa Miccas
Rock 4 ever 10.5/12
WOW ! Das ist einfach klasse was uns die jungen Schweden hier um die Ohren hauen. Melodischer Powermetal, mal mit etwas mehr Speed, mal ruhiger. Refrains, die sofort angenehm zu gefallen wissenund regelrecht zum Mitsingen und Mitbangen animieren. Wer die alten Sachen von IRON MAIDEN und HELLOWEEN liebt, wird von “In Silent They March” begeistert sein. Auf ein solches Albumwartet man von Helloween seit den seligen Zeiten der Keeper-Aera. Die Jungs ziehen wirklich ein As nach dem Anderen aus dem Ärmel, weshalb auf Anspieltips verzichtet wird. Locker und flockig reiht sich Ohrwurm an Ohrwurm. In diesem Fall wiederhole ich mich gerne: CRYSTAL EYES brauchen sich hinter den oben genannten Bands nicht zu verstecken. Ein Album, welches zu den Höhepunkten des Jahres in diesem Genre zählt. BY:
Shapeless Zine 7,5/10
Secondo lavoro per la band svedese, come nel primo le influenze di Helloween, Iron Maiden e Manowar sono evidenti, ma in questo secondo disco le atmosfere epic sono più marcate e rendono le composizioni più personali e interessanti. La produzione è sempre su buoni livelli e il sound della batteria è stata migliorato. La band è la stessa del precedente album, il leader Mikael Dahl (cantante, chitarrista e principale autore di musiche e testi) anche in questo disco riesce ad eseguire un lavoro chitarristico di buonissimo livello, ci sono stati notevoli passi in avanti nella perfomance vocale, che riesce ad affrancarsi dal somigliare a Kiske e finalmente ad essere più personale e convincente, specialmente nelle canzoni più epiche. Fra le canzoni da segnalare vi sono le epiche "Sons Of Odin" e "Witch Hunter", la maestosa ed epica title-track comunque è sicuramente la migliore, ottime anche le altre canzoni. Come il precedente album anche questo si chiude con una ballad, e purtroppo le ballad non sono il pezzo forte della band, i miglioramenti nella composizione ci sono stati ma non riescono a fornire quel pathos che le ballad devono avere. I testi si ispirano a tematiche fantasy ed epiche con prevalenza di quest'ultime. Anche questo secondo lavoro dei Crystal Eyes è discreto, e sono evidenti i miglioramenti che la band è riuscita ad inserire nelle composizioni a discapito della tecnica strumentale, meno virtuosa rispetto al primo album. Alcuni brani mp3 li potrete scaricare dal loro sito. BY: metalchurch
Strutter Zine 7.5/10
The Swedish Power Metal band CRYSTAL EYES released their debut 'World of black and silver' back in 1999 on SHARK RECORDS, on which they now also released their new CD 'In silence they march'. The new album is a bit more 'metal' orientated with lots of fast happy metal tunes in the style of HELLOWEEN, such as the catchy "The Grim Reaper's fate". I think the band is at their best when they slow things down a bit, such as on the midtempo melodic rocker "Witch hunter", the melodic rocker "Somewhere over the sun" and the closing melodic ballad "Winternight". Personally I liked their debut better as it was more like a mixture of HELLOWEEN and PINK CREAM 69, with such great songs like "Winds of the free", "The power behind the throne", "Victims of the frozen hate" and "Gloryride". Nevertheless, if you're into the typical Power Metal thing HELLOWEEN and BLIND GUARDIAN actually started in the late 80s and has now been re-invented by bands like RHAPSODY and STRATOVARIUS, then you're sitting at the same level with this CRYSTAL EYES. BY: Gabor Kleinbloesem
Sweden Rock Magazine 8.5/10
De här Boråsarna imponerade redan med debuten ”World Of Black And Silver” som kom för två år sedan. Taskig produktion och klen sånginsats uppvägs då av makalöst låtskrivande. På uppföljaren ” In Silence They March” är både sång och produktionen klart över genomsnittet i genren, samtidigt som låtstandarden ligger kvar på ungefär samma höga nivå. Tralliga öppningsspåret ”Time Flight” fastnar som ett paket Hubba –bubba i skallen, medan ”Cursed and Damned” bjuder på lite mörkare tongångar. Riktigt ondskefullt blir det med titelspåret, som föregås av den lugna och mystiska ”The Undead King” och bjuder på skräckmetall som skulle kunna få självaste KING DIAMOND avundsjuk. I övrigt är det mesta typiskt CRYSTAL EYES med hård, snabb och melodiös heavy metal med oväntade vändningar och överraskningar bakom varje hörn. De engelska uttalen kunde varit bättre, särskilt i det talade introt till ”Witch Hunter”, men detta är ändå definitivt en av årets bästa svenska plattor. Kanske till och med den allra bästa. BY: Martin Forssman