CRYSTAL BALL – Liferider (2015)
*
Swiss rockers CRYSTAL BALL have delivered some really great albums in the past, in fact their second album was for me one of the best 2000’s releases and still visits my CD player regularly.
After a 6-year hiatus they returned in 2013 with new vocalist and another solid record, and now the guys are back with “Liferider“, maintaining their unique blend of melodic edgy rock and hard rock groove.
Indeed, Crystal Ball’s music is planted on the harder side of the melodic hard rock spectrum, sometimes pretty metallized but always melodious.
Heavy riffs abound on “Liferider” fortified by a rather thick rhythm section. Even so, melody and harmony does not take a back seat to any of this. Combined with the hard rock groove presence, this has always been Crystal Balls’ best strength.
All these things come through within ‘Mayday’, ‘Gods Of Rock’, ‘Antidote’, and the quite catchy ‘Eye To Eye’, featuring Battle Beast’s Noora Louhimo. But this song may remind of something else as it has a strong melodic metal vibe.
You’re likely to catch more of this with the title track, ‘Liferider’, and ‘Balls Of Steel’, both of which have a heavy and brisk pace.
There’s a super catchy number in ‘Paradise’, while Crystal Ball’s more Melodic Hard Rock side is expressed on ‘Bleeding’ and ‘Memory Run’. Not necessarily ballads or anthems, but both back down on the heaviness and tempo. The former allows you to hear that vocalist Steven Mageney doesn’t always have a raspy side to his voice.
Production is fine, done in the old-school way that somehow helps the album with that pure classic feeling that the songs evoke.
In many ways, Crystal Ball’s “Liferider” energetic melodies remind me Swedes Eclipse, yet more metallic and powerful, and production-wise, this is traditional, ’80s inspired.
There’s great guitar and vocal melodies, and an overall positively charged fun ride. What I really love is the variety presented on this disc, each song is interesting and has it’s own personality while the overall disc stays very coherent.
Strongly Recommended.
01. Mayday!
02. Eye To Eye
03. Paradise
04. Balls Of Steel
05. Hold Your Flag
06. Gods Of Rock
07. Take It All
08. Bleeding
09. Rock Of Life
10. Antidote
11. LifeRider
12. Memory Run
Steven Mageney – Vocals
Scott Leach – Guitar
Markus Flury – Guitar
Cris Stone – Bass
Marcel Sardella – Drums
Stefan Kaufmann (Accept) – guest acoustic guitar on 12, backing vocals, mastering
BUY IT !
www.amazon.de/dp/B00P74CWOG
.
