CoC : Crucifer - III : Review

Crucifer - _III_
by: Miika Kuusinen (2 out of 5)

Judging the band by their name, I was expecting to get vicious '80s dirty thrash, but boy was I wrong. Apparently this is Crucifer's third demo, so we aren't exactly talking about a new band here. After listening to a couple of songs, the band's style has been defined as something like a mixture between hard and street rock with some influences from '80s thrash. The melodies and song structures are hard rock-like, yet the guitar work owes quite a lot to '80s speed/thrash. Riffs aren't catchy, yet they manage to sound quite mean and dirty. The whole concept is rather interesting and original, but unfortunately the result seriously lacks attitude and power, which are essential for music like this. The production is clear and clean, but perhaps partly because of this the "kick ass" feeling and atmosphere is never there. Clean and a bit amateurish vocals do fit the music, but like the rest of the music, they do not manage to boost up the aggression and energy level. Overall, the music leaves you desiring something more and tastes as refreshing as tepid water.

Contact: Crucifer c/o Anders Custafson, Glasmastarv. 7

(article published 13/2/1999)