Members:
Midnight - lead vocals
Jon Drenning - lead guitar
Ben Jackson - rhythm guitar
Jeff Lords - bass guitar
Dana Burnell - drums
Factoids:
Transcendence is the second studio album by Florida heavy metal group Crimson Glory, released in 1988 via Roadracer Records (now Roadrunner Records) in Europe and MCA Records in United States. It is considered by many to be their finest work. It was recorded at Morrisound Studios.
The artwork was made by Japanese artist Takashi Terada for the Japanese poster art for the 1985 science fiction film Lifeforce, the artwork was also used on an issue of the popular science magazine OMNI.
The Review:
Ah the sequel album if you will. Just like movies, they can be tricky. Sky high expectations (only to come crashing down) are the main reason for people saying that they can’t hold a candle to the original movie or debut album (which would happen with Crimson Glory’s later albums, but we're not here to talk about that now. But having said all that let me assure you that they absolutely meet all expectations and in some instances I dare say they surpass them. One hell of an iconic heavy metal release right up there with all the Maiden and Priest classics. Think of this album as the debut on steroids as far as sheer intensity and power is concerned, though both albums are pretty much cut from the same cloth. Of course both the debut and Transcendence are classics and I’m sure that no one with a pair of functional ears would even try and argue with that. The cover art is bizarrely questionable but let’s not get into that for the time being.
These guys sure as hell realize the importance of a killer opening track and honestly what better choice can there be other than the fist-pumping epic “Lady Of Winter”. The way he screeches “LAAAAADYYY OF WINTAAAAAAR, TUUUURNING TO RAAAAIN!!” plus the catchy-as-hell opening guitar lick of the song itself makes it an instant winner right from the very first listen itself. It has to be noted that this stuff is addictive. Yeah don’t worry, I’m still talking about the song here folks. If you're looking for the more straight-up heavy metal cuts on this album, "Where Dragons Rule" (with an amazing catchy chorus riff), "Red Sharks" (with some super-awesome high pitched vocals) plus the killer riffage of "Eternal World" will suit you just fine not to mention prime cuts like "In Dark Places" (ignore the slightly cheesy lyrics) and "Masque Of The Red Death" have a mid-paced/doomier and more varied twist on the usual template of heavy metal that really makes these guys stand out from the pack. Plus the epic title track has an almost oriental intro with the clean picking and acoustic rhythms. Very interesting indeed and one heck of a grower after the first couple of listens. The riffs are pure gold with sublime lead harmonies, reminiscent of what makes the genre of heavy metal so amazing. Just like Queensryche and Judas Priest, these guys can also rip it on the ballads with absolute class and finesse without sounding cheesy or overbearing in the least. Kindly listen to "Painted Skies" and "Lonely" (A sublime melancholic touch with an inferno of a solo to boot) to see what I'm talking about. The latter ballad actually reminds me of Queensryche's epic "I Don't Believe In Love"(ironically released the same year). The thing that really set this band apart from other bands was their obviously endless talent and of that talent their singer Midnight (John Patrick McDonald), a vocalist who was so gifted and poetically esoteric that it made his vocal phrasing seem effortless and emotionally charged, he was the anchor of this bands very unique sound. Sadly with Priest, Maiden and Queensryche mainly leading the charge in the 80s, these guys seem to have fallen through the cracks, which is a bit of a shame really, because in later years as this album has been discovered, it has really influenced a whole legion of power metal bands all over the world trying to capture that lighting again.
If you read the last sentence of the previous stanza properly, you clearly need to remedy the situation and get this album if you haven't already. A heavy metal classic with amazing diversity and absolutely mandatory for every fan of metal across the board. It's just as simple as that.
Score: 5/5
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