CRIMSON GLORY — Transcendence (review)

CRIMSON GLORY — Transcendence album cover Album · 1988 · US Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Conor Fynes
'Transcendence' - Crimson Glory (8/10)

This album holds a special place for me. It's technically the first progressive metal album I ever bought, and my very first taste of prog-metal. I remember being twelve years old and thinking it was the most amazing thing ever after listening to the CD a few times. Years later, I still think of it very fondly.

While Crimson Glory had a relatively short streak of true musical quality (their first two albums, including this one) and the rest of their music is more or less disposable, this band certainly had a profound impact on Progressive metal. While Dream Theater was still under the name of Majesty, and Fates Warning was still essentially an Iron Maiden clone, this band was writting some very interesting prog material. That's not to say they were the first prog-metal band, but they were with the movement pretty close to the start. 'Transcendence' marked the height of Crimson Glory's glory. It is a fantastic, albeit flawed work, and I can credit it to opening up my now-preferred genre of music.

The three highlights on the album find themselves in 'In Dark Places,' 'Burning Bridges,' and the title track 'Transcendence.' It is in these songs that a really progressive sound can be heard. The rest of the album is something along the lines of power metal, with traces of prog. Being that I am a fan of both subgenres of metal, this album finds a good place in my heart.

The problem with the band's music (although it's not a major one) is that the lyrics can get a bit annoying. While the band is certainly not 'emo' by any stretch of the imagination, the lyrics are pessimistic and morose to the point of making the music sound corny. The title track has some rather introspective and atmospheric lyrics though, that I enjoyed.

'Transcendence' is an amazing work, and one of the inaugural works of progressive metal. Not the most progressive album (although it's more progressive than most metal albums at the time) but it's some of the best prog/power metal ever done in the '80s. In a decade of mediocrity, this album stands out.
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