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The Snake The Cross The Crown
Mander Salis
Equal Vision Records 2004
CD Review By Keith Joseph, Rockstarpix.TV
The Snake The Cross The Crown’s debut full length album on Equal Vision Records is one that should not be dismissed from a great independent rock collection. The band that showed a lot of promise on their previous ep “Like a Moth Before a Flame” made a record that is exactly how a good band becomes a great band. The music is intricate, creative and the artwork itself shows as much mystery as the music does. William Sammons, Franklin Sammons, Carl Marshall, Kevin Jones and Mark Fate really go all out with this release.
The album begins with a strong opener; “An Honest Misappropriation of Funds” shows their usual synth-indie style with more of a jam style mixed into that. The song has a lot of tempo changes and shows the direction the band is going with this album. The background vocals on this song are amazing and really make the listener get into the song along with the drums. "Empires” is an overall great song. The amazing musicianship of the band really shows with this song. Every instrument playing different parts but in a complete rock ‘n’ roll unison. The song is relaxing for the most-part but after two minutes the band plays a little breakdown to speed the tempo up a bit. The vocals of Carl Marshall are very soothing and soulful. His vocals sound as if he could be a lead for a Brit-Pop band but in their music this isn’t a bad thing. “Gates of Dis” is the next track on the album. This is a great-rock song filled with a catchy bass line and great guitar work. The song leaves the listener with an eerie feeling; the chorus of the song is very catchy and really is the highlight of the song. “On The Threshold of Eternity” is the hump song of the album and is based mostly on acoustic guitars, drums, bass and keyboards. This song is very loose and free of anything bothersome in the world. The listener is put into a place of complete tranquilization.
“The Sun Tells the Moon” is a darker, mysterious song. It’s very creative and the vocals are the most distinct part of the song. The guitar work is very good also. “A Brief Intermission” is an acoustic oriented song. The song makes the listener feel as if they are in the 60's rock scene until the tempo becomes more upbeat when the drums and keyboards become apparent. The song is the catchiest one of the album along with “Empires”. “Echolalia” is the ninth track on the album and is also 9 minutes long. The song is more pop-roc oriented, with emphasis on catchy guitar and piano playing. A lot of the song consists of storm-type sound that really allows the listener to develop more than just a hearing sense while listening to the album.
The album is a very creative piece of work. The Snake The Cross The Crown really put a lot of emphasis on emotion in their music. Listening to the music gives you a sense of feeling and not just hearing. With the range of different types of songs also comes along with a range of different emotions.
The Snake The Cross The Crown would be appreciated by fans of Steel Train, Codeseven, and The Honorary Title. The album is up there in ranks with fellow Equal Vision bands Coheed and Cambria and Armor for Sleep. This band has one bright future in the independent scene, it is sad to say the only air play they will get will be on college radio stations across the country.
Keith Joseph
Rating: A - 9 *(Excellent, solid consistent and cohesive musical effort. Classic, must have material for any collection)
Significant Tracks- “A Brief Intermission”, “Empires”, “Gates of Dis”, “The Sun Tells the Moon”
www.snakecrosscrown.com
www.equalvision.com
produced by Michael Giambra / rockstarpix.tv Copyright 2004
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