CRYSTAL GATES – Torment & Wonder; The Ways of the Lonely Ones (2022)
Female-fronted symphonic metal band CRYSTAL GATES have signed a deal with Wormholedeath for their debut album entitled ”Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones”. This is a very interesting 5-piece where musically all trademarks from the genre are present but not overdone in a cliché driven manner.
Accomplished through refreshing melodies and optimistic vibes, the album features fast metallic songs, mid-tempo catchy tunes, a beautiful ballad, some progressive-inspired passages, and a closing 12-minute epic that goes through all of it in one colorful sonic adventure.
Beyond the music itself, the human endeavor of the search for meaning is touched upon in the lyrics from the perspective of different characters, exploring their loneliness and finding of solace in brief instants of clarity and awe.
Guitarist & songwriter Benjamin Machin vision is reflected in an album full of elaborated compositions and full of details taken care to the maximum, with the rest of the band perfectly coupling. The acrobatic voice of Carolina Perez enriches each melody with a combination of sweetness, grit and passion, in addition to creating several of the arrangements and vocal melodies together with Benjamin.
Keyboardist Juan Jose Leyton is in charge, along with Benjamin, of the album’s orchestral arrangements which abound all over the record mixing pianos and modern synths.
”Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones” is an CD that sonically will make you remember the heyday of this sub-genre in the late 90s and early 2000’s. It’s a familiar sound however enjoyable at the same time.
Highly Recommended
01 – The Ways of the Lonely Ones
02 – My Glorious Fall
03 – Alive for the Journey
04 – A Lonely Dreamer’s Wish
05 – The Stars Temple
06 – Moonshine & Sorrow
07 – Winter Ghost
08 – Nightmares
09 – Soul of Rain
10 – Torment & Wonder
Benjamin Machin – Guitars
Carolina Perez – Vocals
Guillermo Albano – Bass
Gastón Lorenzo – Drums
Juan Jose Leyton – Keyboards
Pre order:
www.amazon.de/gp/product/B09X62L9VK
