Crescent Shield - The Stars of Never Seen

Rating: 7.8

Country: USA

Genre: Traditional Metal

Release Date: 2009

Track list:
1. Under Cover Of Shadows
2. The Grand Horizon
3. Tides Of Fire
4. 10,000 Midnights Ago
5. Temple Of The Empty
6. My Anger
7. The Bellman
8. The Endurance
9. Lifespan

Total playing time 48:59

Band Website: Crescent Shield

Crescent Shield - The Stars of Never Seen

Michael Grant - vocals
Dan DeLucie - guitar
Melanie Sisneros - bass
Craig Anderson - drums

Crescent Shield is one of those bands that was born out of unfortunate circumstances. Originally intended as a side project of vocalist Michael Grant (Onward) and guitarist Dan DeLucie (Destiny's End), the band became the focus of both individuals when their primary bands almost simultaneously dissolved. While this was understandably troublesome for them and the fans of those respective bands, fans of traditional metal as a whole were treated to the formation of Crescent Shield. The debut album, The Last of My Kind, was slurped up by a lot of critics, including this one, as Grant and DeLucie were joined by traditional metal veterans: bassist Melanie Sisneros (The Iron Maidens) and drummer Craig Anderson (Seven Witches). It has been three years since the debut and Crescent Shield has returned a little bit different since the last time we heard from them.

The latest album, The Stars of Never Seen, largely picks up where the debut left off. The new album does add a subtle Fates Warning approach to certain songs, however. This results in the addition of some more proggy, sprawling songs - the most obvious of which being the nine minute "The Endurance". The remainder of the album gallops and soars in a similar fashion to the debut, or, for those who did not pick up the first album, like Iron Maiden mixed with bits of Dio and other traditional metal bands. The band no doubt draws from several influences, and different bands surface throughout the album. The strong similarities between the material on the two albums by the band re-creates and reinforces all of the same impressions I had after the debut: great songwriting, solid musicianship but annoying/boring vocals.

The songwriting here is well thought out and well delivered as the songs are full of dynamics, melody and texture. Traditional metal, unlike a lot of metal genres, is built to be catchy: simple riffs, lots of melody, big choruses, song and album dynamics, etc. I wish more of these elements would invade genres like death metal, especially big choruses, and Crescent Shield could teach the course. The way "Tides of Fire" builds off its clean opening in terms of both tempo and heft is perfect while "Temple of the Empty" does almost the exact opposite as it fades out on some acoustics after its bruising solo section. The pensive mandolin interludes on the latter also offers the perfect bit of textural color. There are also the more straightforward songs like the introspective and aptly titled "My Anger", but most songs have something unique to offer like the melodic, maritime sway of "The Bellman". The centerpiece is the epic "The Endurance" - inspired by the ill-fated voyage of Earl Shackleton to Antarctica. The song has an approach befitting of such a tale with several shifts and melodic interludes.

Perfection this is not, however - I do have several objections to the vocals. Michael Grant has a lower voice than most vocalists in the style. He is still talented and has his moments, but I find his almost nasally sound to be troublesome. I had this originally attributed to personal preference, so I mention it here for two reasons: 1) I noticed it start to show up in a couple of the reviews I had read before purchasing the album; and 2) it also seems like his vocals are a lot more layered this time. I am of the opinion that when you have to add that much color to a vocal performance, you probably don't have a great vocalist. The rest of the players in the game are top-notch, however, Dan DeLucie in particular, and more than compensate for the vocal inadequacies.

Those of you who enjoyed the debut may purchase the new album without worry since the majority of the material here could have easily been included on that album. The production also needs a mention since not only is the soft volume issue on the debut been thankfully resolved, the new album is also perfectly spaced and allows for all of the intricate layers to be absorbed and appreciated. Crescent Shield is a band that has done well on its only two releases which is the type of consistency most bands never have at any point in their whole career - unless we are talking about sucking, then that type of consistency is enjoyed by legions. I definitely look forward to future output and would recommend them to any traditional metal enthusiast, though you might be better served to start with the slightly catchier debut.

February 25, 2010