Crimson Dawn
It Came from the Stars / The Open Coffin
Review by Gary Hill
This is a double CD set, but it is basically a single CD with a bonus EP included. The second disc is not listed on the spine, and the song titles aren't included on the back of the CD package. That said, the booklet is basically a dual booklet. If you flip it upside down, it's the booklet for the other CD.
That said, these discs aren't labeled as first and second, but I'm assuming the main one (It Came from the Stars) is CD one and the bonus EP (The Open Coffin) is the second. Now, it should also be mentioned that from what I can tell the last two tracks on that second disc have been reversed from their order when it was originally released.
The music of this act is definitely metal, but in terms of subgenre, it varies. There elements of NWOBHM, doom, epic metal, Gothic metal and more present here. This all works really well. At least two of the songs have literary roots (Poe and Lovecraft), and there is really a dark, horror type lyrical tone to much of this. All in all, I like this a lot. The main disc is the stronger one, but the second has some definite highlights, and it is a bonus, really.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023 Volume 5 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.
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