Cryonic Temple
Blood, Guts & Glory
4.2
What is this? Another power metal album at MetalReview? I would have never seen it coming. Cryonic Temple are label mates with Gothic Knights and if you read my review for that album, then you know what to expect here; nothing but the blandest, most boring power metal the genre has to offer. Honestly, how many songs can one genre have about being “warriors”, “mercenaries”, “soldiers”, or whatever, of metal? Come on, seriously! Here find (after an “epic” keyboard intro) the first track called “Mercenaries of Metal.” Strike One. Then you are bombarded by the most typical, we have heard them 10 million times before, guitar riffs. Strike Two. You have a song called “Thunder and Lightning” and another called “Swords and Diamonds.” That is strike three and you are ejected from the game. Not to mention the $5000 fine and a two game suspension for being on the same label as Gothic Knights.
Honestly, do bands like these garner a following? I have probably asked this ten million times before, but seriously… The one plus about this is the sub-par Rob Halford wanna-be vocals, which are actually buried a bit in the mix. It also sounds like he is singing in a hallway the entire time as well. You know, the one thing I could take away musically from the album is a riff in the song “Long Live the Warriors” that almost sounds really good, but then quickly goes back to mid-paced power chord chugging as horrible chanting of “Hail! Hail!” is heard in the background, while the singer further graces us with his presence. But what's better than the chanting of "Hail! Hail!" is when they chant "Samurai! Samurai!" in a later track. You wouldn't believe the expression that graced my face when I first heard this. Wow. The drummer seems to only know his way around the high-hat and the bell of the ride, which only adds to the excitement found within Blood, Guts, and Glory. Wow, I am speechless. What left is there to say? I cannot even think of anything new to put that I have not put in the reviews of the countless other albums like this one.
Don’t buy this. Don’t even look into it. Just don’t…
