Review Summary: The eulogy of fun.
Cryonic Temple cleaned house before releasing their fourth album,
Immortal. Of the line-up seen on their 2005 release, In Thy Power, only two members remain: the two guitarists, Leif Collin and Esa Ahonen. With the drastic shift in members came a drastic shift in style, as well. Gone is the hot-blooded, cheesy, thoroughly enjoyable power metal offerings of their previous three albums. In the place is a darker, more serious album which utterly falls flat in areas which were previously the strong points of the band.
The biggest change is the departure of Glen Metal. The soaring, engaging vocals presented by their previous vocalist have been replaced by the voice of Magnus Thurin. The new vocals are not awful by themselves, but are fairly generic. However, they can't hold a candle to the sheer power and energy presented by Glen Metal. Anybody listening to this album after having heard any other songs by Cryonic Temple will realize just how poor the change is.
As mentioned in the first paragraph, this album has a distinctively more serious tone. It seems to beg to be taken seriously, unlike the previous album, which had a greater focus on being enjoyable. The speed is gone, the cheese is gone, the energy is gone, the heart is gone. While the band was covering familiar ground beforehand, they were amongst the best in their field. Everything that made the band stand out has been replaced by generic drivel. Nothing stands out; the album is quite boring to listen to.
Another issue present is that each song is too similar to the last. Very little is done to distinguish between tracks, and while the songs themselves are not terribly written or performed, they are quite forgettable. This is quite fitting, as the album itself can be seen in a similar light.
All in all, to a new listener to Cryonic Temple, they will likely see Immortal as mediocre, and hardly worthy of note. This is unfortunate, as it will likely deter them from checking out the other albums, which are leagues above it. For long-time fans, the new style will be a jarring change, and will serve as nothing more than an irritant and a disappointment.
Pros:
+Fear of the Rage is an excellent song
Cons:
-Performances are weaker than previous releases
-Songwriting is generic
-Highly forgettable
Highlights:
Fear of the Rage
