Time Signature
Malory, the metal bringer...
Genre: melodic thrash metal
Anthrax might be the returned kings of melodic thrash metal, but then bands like Anoxia, Charred Walls of the Damned, Death Angel and Italian metallers Star Crossed are definitely the knights of the round melodic thrash metal table.
Like Charred Walls of the Damned, Star Crossed's brand of power thrash is sophisticated and displays a high level of musicianship and strong songwriting skills. While not as progressive as Charred Walls of the Damned, Star Crossed's compositions on Relativity are nonetheless progressively inclined every now and then and contain several interesting details (such as the disco-funk-like bass in the intro of 'Under the Water' and the bass solo in 'The Day of Redemption') every now and then. The bassist Andrea Massé also goes under the stage name "The Fretless Killa", so I assume that he makes use of a fretless bass - the bass defintely has the same warm and round sound associated with fretless basses and, while I think the bass could have perhaps been given more focus, it is still quite audible and provides an important aspect of the overall sound.
The tunes on the album are characterized by variation - and thus there are elements from power metal, thrash metal, traditional metal and melodic death metal - but there is also a general sense of focus and coherence throughout the album, which makes it one of those albums that you can listen to from beginning to end without being bored.
With its emphasis on melody and sophistication, Relativity is best characterized as melodic thrash metal, and should appeal to fans of Anthrax, Anoxia, Charred Walls of the Damned and Death Angel, and with the power metal elements such as the catchy and big choruses found it tracks like 'Malory the Nightmare Bringer' and 'The Tablespoon of Lust' the album might also appeal to fans of power metal (although the production here is much less polished than with most present-day power metal).
(review originally posted at seaoftranquilty.org)