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Blog Categories Review Crimson River - Here's To The End... Again - Reviewed By rockmuzine!

Crimson River - Here's To The End... Again - Reviewed By rockmuzine! Wednesday July 12 2023, 11:45 PM

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Crimson River - Here's To The End... Again - Reviewed By rockmuzine ! Check it out here at this link: https://rockmuzine.nl/2023/04/01/crimson-river-heres-to-the-endagain/

Noord-Brabant, Eindhoven to be precise, the cradle of heavy metal in the Netherlands, isn't it? At the end of the 1970s, the magazine Aardschok was born there, of course, known to every metal lover. Crimson River also sprouts from Eindhoven. According to their bio they are heavily influenced by the NWOBHM, the 10-string BC Rich gives them a 70s vibe, shredding a la Paul Gilbert and Yngwie Malmsteen complete the picture. Started in 2011, a single is regularly released and an EP in 2019, which is noticed by several NL e-zines; the undersigned was also very pleased with a listened to song. After that, however, it becomes quiet, but now the debut album is released. An album that appears in an unusual cover for a heavy metal band.

It starts with the title track, quite uptempo in the verses, midtempo in the choruses, wonderful guitar riff, good break with beautiful melodic guitar solo, a great start. 'We are the knights' continues pumping, both guitar and bass, with a kind of mesmerizing rhythm, the guitar solo is great. The vocals may take some getting used to, a bit like Dave Mustaine. 'Armada' taps into a different vein with its mid-tempo and more supported rhythm, the vocals also sound different, probably sung by the bass player (?), several good breaks, prominent and wonderful bass work and again a great and also long guitar solo. If you want a comparison in terms of style, think of the later Metallica and Megadeth with a heavy dash of NWBOHM. The different musical backgrounds of the musicians provide a unique style and sound. 'Requiem' has a beautiful and almost emotional acoustic beginning and right after that a sensitive guitar solo with a very nice uptempo piece at the end. Also the instrumental 'Katyusha' has a wonderful opening with an excellent bass and guitar, lead guitarist Kris van Rens must have attended the conservatory and be a big fan of classical music. The midtempo 'Native' has a stoner vibe and therefore sounds different from the other songs. The closing track 'The wild' is an example of the later Metallica in terms of guitar work, with wonderful short tempo accelerations in between to work towards yet another fantastic guitar solo. The instrumental 'Katyusha' also has a wonderful opening with an excellent bass and guitar, lead guitarist Kris van Rens must have attended the conservatory and be a big fan of classical music. The midtempo 'Native' has a stoner vibe and therefore sounds different from the other songs. The closing track 'The wild' is an example of the later Metallica in terms of guitar work, with wonderful short tempo accelerations in between to work towards yet another fantastic guitar solo. Also the instrumental 'Katyusha' has a wonderful opening with an excellent bass and guitar, lead guitarist Kris van Rens must have attended the conservatory and be a big fan of classical music. The midtempo 'Native' has a stoner vibe and therefore sounds different from the other songs. The closing track 'The wild' is an example of the later Metallica in terms of guitar work, with wonderful short tempo accelerations in between to work towards yet another fantastic guitar solo.

The production is wonderfully open, the album seems to have been recorded in 1 take and therefore has a certain live feeling about it, not smoothed and plastered and all instruments come into their own. I can say that I am becoming more and more impressed by this fantastic debut. If you like modern oldschool heavy metal with a touch of thrash with a face all of its own, then Crimson River is an absolute must, in fact, hard-hitting mandatory reading. This album is definitely going to be very high in my top 10 of 2023. Hopefully the gentlemen will succeed in gaining greater fame and also getting some live performances in the country, because I would also like to see this great class live. 93 / 100 rockmuzine

Release Date: February 10, 2023

FFO: Megadeth, Racer X, Metallica

Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Crimson River is a rock / heavy metal band from Eindhoven in The Netherlands and was founded in 2011. Catchy riffs and flaming guitar solos characterize the sound. Strong influences from the New Wave of British Heavy dominate. In addition, the 10-string B.C. Rich Bich and some slide guitar can provide a 70’s classic rock vibe. Shredding leads à la Paul Gilbert and Yngwie Malmsteen complete the picture.

For a long time they were rehearsing in obscurity, finetuning their sound, doing few shows and just having fun. But in 2019, the “Crimson River EP” was released, which was well received. In December of 2022 the single “Here’s To The End… Again” came out, and on February 10th of 2023 the rest of the album will be released into the world!

Check out this video!