CRESCENT SHIELD - The Last Of My Kind
January 8, 2007, 17 years ago
(Cruz Del Sur)
A second (last?) bite at the apple from ex-Onward vocalist Michael Grant, former Destiny End/New Eden guitarist Dan DeLucie, Melanie Sisneros (The Iron Maidens/Sinergy) and drummer Craig Anderson, who’s been linked with Engine and Seven Witches. These are 11 traditional/power metal anthems, although ‘Rise Of The Red Crescent Moon’ takes a decidedly more deliberate path, sort of plodding, mid-‘80s tempo (yet with lots of leads, a constant throughout the album). ‘The Last Of My Kind’ begins with a classical guitar interlude, double-tracked - one acoustic/one electric - before taking a heavier turn. Still have a problem with Grant’s high-pitched style, which never flows, sounding forced, almost phonetic, as if he only sang one line at a time. On ‘Unfinished Ashes’ and ‘The Path Once Chosen’ the phenomenon is least noticeable.
