CROM – Era Of Darkness

Crom is a German Melodic Metal trio releasing their fourth album on From The Vaults records January 13th, 2023

Crom

Crom is a band that has been around for a couple of years and joins the ranks of modern Metal that is carrying the torch of the New Wave Of British Metal. Their new and fourth album, Era Of Darkness, does a great job of capturing that 70s and 80s vibe quite well. The one thing that sets Era Of Darkness apart from most of the others out there is the fact that they have mixed in some Viking style music and themes to their music. How could you not with a name like Crom?

Lead singer, Walter “Crom” Grosse, started Crom as a solo project after he left a more traditional Black Metal band called Dark Fortress. He managed to bring a whole new sound from what Dark Fortress was doing, but maintained the fast guitars and chugging beats that are synonymous with the genre of Black Metal. This style music lends itself very well to the style Walter had in mind.

Era Of Darkness

Era Of Darkness starts out with “Into the Glory Land” and sets the stage for an immersive album filled with Viking themes, fast drums and guitars, and even rounds out with what feels like a folksy sound. The sound that some might recognize is reminiscent of Finntroll and their Irish ditty meets Heavy Metal music.

As the record continues, it goes through ups and downs in rhythm and speed. Some songs are slower such as “A New Star” and “The Last Unicorn.” Even though “A New Star” departs from the rest of the fast Metal paced music and British Metal style vocals, it fits into the album concept as it makes you feel that the hero is possibly walking into the sunset, his epic has come to an end. Although “The Last Unicorn” is a cover originally sung by America, Crom put a Metal twist to it and actually manage to bring it to new life from the 1982 movie by the same name, The Last Unicorn.

Final Thoughts

Era Of Darkness is a well composed album and has a lot of great songs on it. Not everyone of them hits the same, but that helps with the flow on the record. The production on this recording is done very well, too. It holds some of the older style of the British Metal from the early ‘80s while still sounding modern. If you’re a fan of Melodic Metal with a side of Folksy/Viking Metal, this album is right up your alley. Even if you tend to be on the heavier side of music, like Walter’s previous band, this might still appeal to your musical senses.

Tracklisting

1. Into the Glory Land
2. Heart of the Lion
3. The Era of Darkness
4. Higher Ground
5. Together We Ride
6. Into Your Eyes
7. Riding into the Sun
8. The Forsaken
9. When Will the Wounds Ever Heal
10. Bridge to Paradise
11. A New Star
12. The Last Unicorn

Album Lineup

Walter “Crom” Grosse – Vocals, Choirs, Lead & Acoustic Guitars, Bass
Steve Peyerl – Solo Guitars
Thomas Hagl – Drums