Day: April 2, 2015

Second album for the Ukrainian Crimson Sky, a band already active since the last century but whose record production started only in this decade. This Transcendental Trip turns out to be the classic work without smears that, while being strongly indebted to the best gothic doom of the past, deserves all the attention from fans of the genre. In the noble wake of Draconian, the Swedish band that, in my opinion, has been the best interpreter in recent times, Crimson Sky confirm the natural predisposition to dramatic and magniloquent atmospheres by the Ukrainian scene, but in this specific case they do better than many other compatriots by virtue of a superior and never trivial writing ability. The usual and dichotomous use of the two voices works to perfection and, for once, the female one, by Myroslava Romanyuk, gives the songs a decadent aura by renouncing to the too often cloying operatic intonation. Mag Mell Osmose and the final and decadent Quinta Essentia (which shows particular aspects such as the use of French language and a tasty use of sax) are the two jewels that shine within a tracklist of overall level above average. Do not make the mistake of dismissing Crimson Sky as yet another clone band in the gothic doom field: this Ukrainian band has an edge over most of the competition and, if you can get over the fact that Transcendental Trip does not present particularly innovative traits, you will get the deserved enjoyment.

2015 – Metal Scrap Records