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The debut CD from Creozoth, the new side-project of guitarist Lars Johansson and drummer Jan Lindh of Candlemass, is a curious affair. All of the necessary ingredients are present, but the end result is lacking… something…
Musically, this record exists somewhere in between Candlemass’ best work sans the Sabbath and the Roy Z./Bruce Dickinson tryptich, sans the harmony guitars. At it’s heaviest, Creozoth is heavy as hell, but the record never loses sight of melody or classic arrangements. It’s very strong late 80’s/early 90’s power metal with all the modern sonic and stylistic updates. The ferocious guitars really stand out in this regard; positively molten axe-grinding that covers everything from detuned Pantera-esque chugging to positively searing classic-era lead work.
I mentioned Roy Z.’s triumphs earlier in the review because ultimately, weak production (by Johansson ) has allowed Creozoth, an obviously talented band, to turn out a merely ‘O.K.’ debut record. Michael Storck’s vocals are horrendously low in the mix, rendering some already weak choruses even weaker. Though not possessed of pipes in the same league as Messiah Marcolin, the man can obviously sing, and when the songs go for that big flourish, there’s just nothing there. What’s more, all of the storming, up-tempo numbers appear at the start of the record; the 2nd half contains all of the mid-paced to slow-ish (albeit excellent) songs, resulting in a CD that starts out with a blast and proceeds to get less and less interesting as it plods onward to the final 2 wasted tracks, both instrumentals (!) that add absolutely nothing to the record and destroy any possibility of a big finish.
What’s missing on Creozoth is a producer who knows how to handle ultra-heavy, new millenium Power Metal. Mr Z., are you out there?
| Tracklist |
| 1. With The Flow |
| 2. Stares Back |
| 3. Forsaken |
| 4. Minute U Die |
| 5. Intoxicatedead |
| 6. For Your Amusement |
| 7. Watch n' Wait |
| 8. State Of Shock |
| 9. Bad Day |
| 10. Mind |
| 11. You Don't Know |
| 12. Dash |
| 13. Spectorized |
: 57.28
| Buy other Creozoth albums |
