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"Crystal Throne offers us a very successful first album. A concentrate of sincere and abrasive heavy metal."
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4/5
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All the French metalheads probably know it. Crystal Throne is the band of Max Waynn, alias Max Yme, the abrasive youtuber. Rest assured (or not), we will not take position here for or against his style. Especially since this review is, as he may say, written by a fifty-year-old who is useless ... So it is not certain that our opinion, whatever it is, on the relative relevance of some of his comments, has the slightest interest for him. After all, everyone does as he can to exist in a world dominated by the obsession of buzz and punchline, even if it means hiding his sensitivity behind a vindictive character. On the other hand, what we are sure of is that this first album of Crystal Throne is a success. Of those which propel a band on the front of the metal scene (French and why not international) from its first delivery.
"Crystal Throne" is an original album in more than one way. First of all, because it was almost entirely composed live on Youtube, and then because underneath the allure of a tribute to the heavy metal of the 80s, it turns out to be much more modern than it seems. Certainly, the influences of the band are marked, in the first place those of Judas Priest and Queensrÿche. Especially since Terry Defire, singer and co-founder of the band, sounds almost like Geoff Tate. But the way Crystal Throne approaches the compositions is particularly representative of a new generation of passionate musicians who have sufficiently integrated the codes of metal not to fall into the clichés to excess.
The result is powerful compositions purely heavy metal ('Valkyrie Ride', the impressive 'Mechanical Tyranny', the excellent 'Timescape'), with hyper effective riffs ('Rise To Glory') and very well composed ('Steelbirds') and with a production sufficiently airy and homogeneous to let all the musicians express themselves. In particular of course Max Waynn and his nervous and dazzling solos whose neoclassical influences inherited from Yngwie Malmsteen are present on many tracks ('Steelbirds', 'Timescape', 'Rise To Glory', 'Mechanical Tyranny').
So of course, this album is not perfect. But its weak points, notably the sometimes uninspired choirs ('Valkyrie Ride', 'Crystal Warrior'), are sufficiently anecdotal not to tarnish the strength of the tracks. Composed with care and sometimes leaning towards a particularly efficient progressive power metal ('Foreshadowed Sands', 'Crystal Warrior'), the nine tracks of "Crystal Throne" are above all addressed to the fans of powerful and melodic heavy metal.
Successful bet for Crystal Throne with this sincere, angry and necessarily abrasive album... The only thing you have to do is not to listen to it too loud... - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Fate & Triumph - 1:42
02. Rise To Glory - 3:43
 03. Timescape - 5:24
04. Shades Of Existence - 6:50
05. Steelbirds - 5:12
06. Foreshadowed Sands - 5:12
07. Valkyrie Ride - 7:02
08. Mechanical Tyranny - 3:47
09. Crystal Warrior - 8:22
LINEUP:
Alex Gricar: Batterie
Jefferson Brand: Basse
Max Waynn: Guitares
Terry Defire: Chant
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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(4) COMMENT(S)
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Chant rédhibitoire de mon côté. Trop criard, trop forcé ce qui m'empêche d'apprécier le reste... 
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À l'écoute de quelques titres, c'est pour moi une déception. J'ai toujours du mal avec quelqu'un dont les talents à la guitare ne sont plus à démontrer, dont la culture musicale est résolument prog, death ou punk, faire un disque certes hyper efficace, mais prévisible, pour moi si peu inspiré et qui colle autant à ses modèles. Mais chacun ses tripes... Est-ce ce l'impact et l'aura de ce disque n'est pas simplement dû à la personne de Max ?
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En tant que Quinquagénaire, je suis globalement d'accord avec d'accord avec ce bon quinqua de Newf, sur les influences Queensrÿrche et Judas. J'ai cependant une petite réserve sur le chant que je trouve un peu forcé parfois. Pour les reste, les riffs et les solos sont excellents. Il faut peut-être également rappeler à Max que, ne lui en déplaise, les quinquas représentent une large partie de sa fan base prog
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Abrasif... ça sent le fan inconditionnel de Max Yme. 
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READERS
-/5 (0 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.5/5 (4 view(s))
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