Blessed Altar Zine: Crimson Day - At The Mountains Of Madness

09 June 2018

Crimson Day - At The Mountains Of Madness

Band: Crimson Day

Title: At The Mountains Of Madness

Label: Independent

Release date: February 17, 2018

Country: Finland

Format reviewed: FLAC

The world of rock & metal, and all music in general, has evolved. Some prefer the return of the real metal to the underground. Personally, I don’t have an issue with that. Internet made it possible for acts, new and older, to independently release and promote their releases, perhaps a lot easier than it was during the earlier tape trading era. I am, however, a strong believer that real talent should be recognized and compensated accordingly. Real talent should have access to proper, worldwide physical media distribution outlets, rewarding streaming and downloading services and hassle-free booking to properly compensating gigs. Unfortunately, in this current world of “internet-underground” metal, the real talent is being suffocated by an immensely growing pile of horseshit, an utter waste of data storage petabytes - stuff unfitted to be called music. The ever greed driven record labels and blood sucking streaming services, further obstructs the development of real talent. With that said: the real talent is out there, awaiting to be discovered, savored and praised by fans!

The latter is clearly the case for CRIMSON DAY. A virtually unknown band, hailing from the city of Tampere in Pirkanmaa, southern Finland. Formed in 2013, the band released their self-titled debut EP the same year. After releasing their first full-length album, “Order Of The Shadows” (2015), the band underwent a couple of lineup changes, resulting in the current formation of: Lassi Landström (vocals), Jesse Liukkonen & Ari Balzar (guitars), Jesse Kämäräinen (bass) and Tuomas Lesonen (drums). “At The Mountains Of Madness”, the band’s sophomore full-length release, independently came to fruition on February 17th. Twelve captivating tracks, showcasing great composition writing skills, captivating lyrics and admirable execution. Conclusively: real talent! The tracks recorded and mixed by Jussi Kulomaa, and mastered by Esa Orjatsalo, sum up to a very memorable listening experience, a virtual realm of Heavy Metal greatness! Some may chose to superficially call this power metal. The hybrid amalgam of melodic, fluid complexity, up-tempo, proficient, sing-along, inspirational framework, with just the right touch of pure Scandinavian ariose speed metal and a hint of neoclassical, it’s what I call: Epic Heavy Metal! Track after track: each time setting a high level of expectation and delivering it without any hesitation! No fillers, no superficiality. From the dramatic piano bars of the intro, “The Expedition of Dr. William Dyer”, and to the fading acoustic guitar notes of the last song on the album, the haunting “Crimson Shore”, this band delivers a multi-layered, fantastic sound voyage. Upper echelon dual guitar landscapes (including very well executed solos), providing apt, textured foundation for the clean, heldentenor like, imposing vocals, all driven with aplomb by the rhythm section’s pinpoint precision and dynamism. Lyrics, as previously mentioned, are top notch, exploring a variety of subjects: literature (fiction), humanity, injustice, mortality, suicide, psychopathy and history (mythology, war, sacrifice, heroism). The album’s cover art in traditional ink pointillism by A.R. Semaster, completes the package.

CRIMSON DAY has never toured outside their homeland of Finland, with the exception of one show in Berlin, in 2017. Currently seeking a label, producer and booking agent, the band is working on ideas for new material, after wrapping up a winter/spring tour in support of “At The Mountains Of Madness”. Discover something new: buy it, stream it, whatever … - this talented young band deserves all the support it can get! I absolutely recommend this album! 9.5/10 UHF