In the battle for memorable metal, style or substance often battle for dominance. While Germany’s Crom may seem to lean more towards “style” in their sturdy and reliable brand of Trad/Power hybrid metal, the songs on the new release The Era Of Darkness (From The Vaults) also contain a strong measure of strength in the sword arm and fire in the heart.
As one of the first 2023 releases of note, The Era Of Darkness finds a startlingly bright beacon of hope for metal victory burning forth from an album that nonetheless has “darkness” in the name.
‘Into The Glory Land’ fittingly starts things off by bringing us into a new round of epic tales of battle. The galloping energy, big melodies, and very cool climbing and intricate riffing near the end of the song build the energy the whole time and start things off with a bang. You certainly feel like you are in the midst of a battle cry or looking down upon the discovery of a hidden kingdom from above.
It has been half a decade since When Northmen Die and so the stakes are high for this release. The band has sharpened their blades with worthy focus and the songwriting is rock solid throughout, dancing notes reflecting in the blade’s edge by firelight. The bold and half-snarled title track could soundtrack many a melodic heavy quest.
‘Higher Ground’ is neither a tribute to the most famous duel in Revenge Of The Sith nor a paganized take on the Chili Peppers’ version of Stevie Wonder‘s hit. What we do get is a stirring if trudge mid-tempo song about taking a leap or risk for the sake of gaining an unexpected advantage or leaving a mark. While the song has some of the more run-of-the-mill leads, it serves the flow of the album well and would be a good live rallying point for fans.
‘In Your Eyes’ joins the ranks of similarly named songs by Peter Gabriel, George Benson, and The Weeknd and likely will have a less commercial impact than all of them. This song kind of drags, and it has to be said that overall the band’s faster material slays way harder. Not every power metal band is as consistent as Stratovarius or Amon Amarth (yes, I consider AA a heavier strain of power metal) at switching tempos and modes, though. ‘In Your Eyes’ improves drastically when the tempo picks up a touch and the leads do a very cool mirroring of the main vocal line before diving in and out of some call-and-response battle cry-type stuff. It is one of the coolest sections on the album.
‘The Forsaken’ is slower but strikingly powerful, a very cinematic number with thumping drums, a feeling of restless yearning, and some of the most gorgeous guitar textures you will find here. It is almost into folk metal territory with some of the textures and very well done.
I definitely did not expect the Hetfield phrasing style cover of America‘s ‘The Last Unicorn’, but it is pretty awesome and pint-raising worthy. Rhapsody Of Fire or Manowar fans will enjoy the heavier yet earnest take on this song that is hard to not make cheesy unless you really believe in the power of the classic Peter S. Beagle tale.
All in all, the band does its best to overcome the darkness in this worthy effort.
Buy the album here:
https://targetshop.dk/vare/crom-the-era-of-darkness-cd?
6 / 10
MORGAN Y. EVANS