Holy Grail
Crisis in Utopia
2010
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Holy Grail…holy smokes!!! Balls to the wall, pedal to the metal, and in your face. That is how I would describe Crisis in Utopia, the first release by California's Holy Grail. I was hooked on this cd from the opening notes of the first song.
Crisis in Utopia is a classic power metal record in every sense of the word. Their sound is heavy, the tempo is fast, and the songs are anthemic and great to scream along with. The band draws heavily from metal pioneers such as Iron Maiden and Accept, but I can also hear some modern influences like Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium (less of the screamo junk and more of their melodic metal stuff).
The guitar duo works great together while playing awesome harmonies and killer solos, think Adrian Smith and Dave Murray from Maiden or Wolf Hoffman and Herman Frank from Accept. The drums have many riffs and fills to keep things interesting, the bass holds its own and is either keeping pace with the guitars or thundering away with the drums, and the singing is in your face like a warrior's battle cry. James Paul Luna has a really great rock voice.
The cd is solid, the songs are solid, and Holy Grail is a solid band. I was fortunate to see them on tour with Blind Guardian and Seven Kingdoms and was impressed with their set. I had to buy Crisis in Utopia and have jammed to it many times over since I got it. It really is that good.
Live Long and Rock Hard,
SpaceKev
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SpaceKev's Rating: 9 out of 10
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