Band: Crystal Tears
Album title: Generation X
Label: 7Hard
Distributor: 7Hard Records
Release date: 18/06/2010
Release: CD

Crystal Tears is a metal band from Thessaloniki (Greece) and was formed during 1997. Since then, the band released three demo’s. The bands first work was released via Pure Steel Records somewhere in 2006. But it wasn’t until the band joined forces with singer Ian Parry and started to record their second album (witch they recorded together with R.D. Liapakis) that the ball started rolling for these guys.

Now the band itself is mostly formed around drummer Chrisafis Tantanozis and as it is expected from a band formed around a drummer, the album itself is very drum loaded and this is actually a nice change from all the ego tripping guitar shredders that dominate the scene for quite a while now. But don’t worry, there's a strong current of melodic metal guitars infused within most songs and of course Parry's melodic vocal arrangements.

Although a catchy album, it is what it is, a power metal record. So the youth of these days probably wants something heavier and more brutal than this record/band. But if you’re a bit older, like insane drumming or open to listening to power metal, Generation X is definitely worth giving a try.

68/100

Jeroen.