CREMATORY “Monument” review (by Bartosz Tomaszewski (SEPULCROS PROD))

CREMATORY “Monument”
Steamhammer / SPV

This name was always quite popular amongst METAL bands – especially in first half of 90’s. Personally I know three bands with this one. The fact is that they all don’t exist anymore. But this one who comes from Germany exists and nothing says that it’ll change. They began their life in 1991 in Mannheim. As it quite often happens in bands with so long placement also this one is specific mix of experienced and young blood. There’re three members who play here from the beginning (or as in case of Katrin: almost – she joined her husband and Felix in 1992) and three who joined the band not so long time ago – last or even this year. Well, in case of guitarists this “youngness” is at least disputable thing coz they both play METAL since really many years.

It’s hearable very well, the same like this that both of them played earlier and still play in Heavy Metal bands. It doesn’t mean that CREMATORY plays Heavy Metal! Well, maybe in some parts we could call it so, but rarely and it’d be drastic dumbing down to does it. Musicians call their music Industrial/Gothic Metal. With this Gothic I agree. I hear here really huge influences of some German very well-known band – especially in parts where Felix sings in German connotation comes automatically, but also in these English ones. Well, this connotation arises from not only coz of his way of singing or timbre of voice when he does it in clean way, but also (or maybe first of all) coz of guitars and bass. Tempos are of course mostly slow, but not sometimes it changes and become a little faster. We have here also some keyboards on which plays mentioned above Katrin. She uses her instrument sparingly and only when it’s necessary what I like. Melody comes from not so complicated, but variable riffs. Keyboard is a little receding and only completes it. Felix sings also in variable way – we have here at least two ways of clean vocal and from time to time growling. Anyway, I can’t hear anything what would be called Industrial here. The fact is that I never was a fan of music like that, but… Well, maybe some samples of keyboard (on the beginning of few songs) could be some connection here.

Everything is melodious and we don’t suffer when we listen to it, our nerves have some rest. It doesn’t mean that we listen to some stupid “lalalalala”! Band connects this mentioned melody (we can even tell that some songs are, but only in ears of Metalhead, hit) with this brutality. Of course tit isn’t brutality in meaning of Death or even Thrash Metal.

(c) Bartosz Tomaszewski (SEPULCROS PROD)