Review CREMATORY “Destination”

This band is a phenomenom. When you ask metalheads if Crematory is one of their favorite bands, the answer isn’t often a ‘yes’. On the other hand, the band from the south of Germany has been around for 34 years and “Destination” is their 17th longplayer. So there must be something that fascinates the fans of the gothic metal offered by Crematory.

It could be the authenticity of the band, as no trend or commercial hype has made them change their sound. The band sticks to the trademarks that have been developed since 1991 and are still present on the latest effort.

The band presents 12 new songs. Actually, it’s eleven new songs and one cover version that shape the tracklist of “Destination”. The title track is in pole position and represents the typical signature sound of the five-piece band. Moderately paced, alternating clean vocals and growls plus a typical gothic vibe is what the first song on the album stands for. It is a pretty good start into the album, but unfortunately there is more than just one song on the album that misses the thrill. No matter if we listen to songs with German lyrics like “Welt aus Glas” or the average “After Isolation”, there is a lot of standardized music on the album. A song that belongs to the better ones on the album is “May Own Private God”. The mid-paced stomper with eerie keyboards is a bit different from most of the other songs, including “Ashes Of Despair”, which is rather a dark pop song than metal. Once you get to the second half of the album, a certain repetition takes over. There aren’t many unexpected surprises as the basic pattern is the same from beginning to end.

Last but not least the cover version. “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend” is a classic by Type O Negative and a cover of such a song has a certain risk of failure. Well, Crematory, with the support of Michelle Darkness (End Of Green), don’t fail, although Crematory’s interpretation doesn’t even come close to the impressive original song which speaks for the greatness of the song itself.

Crematory don’t surprise with their latest effort. It is exactly what you expect from the band, which also means that the new album will probably not expand the fan base. But those who appreciate the dark sound after lighting some black candles in the room will surely find what they are looking for.