### Crematory: Pray

#### 06/03/08 || Euthanatos

Never quite gave a fuck about Crematory. They play a style of metal that actually appeals to me, but for some reason I just never gave a fuck. All of that changed when I listened to “Pray” and the more I listened to it, the more I realized this was one of those life-altering records. Yes, it’s that good.

I really don’t know how this marvelous wonder of the metal world came to be. I can’t tell you what inspired Crematory to rise above mediocrity (okay, granted, they had a few good albums here and there, I’m just grumpy) and suddenly make one of the best albums I’ve heard. Maybe it’s because they decided to scratch the “gothic” vibe and still maintain a melodic sense, bringing them up to the Opeth/Swallow the Sun/Amorphis pantheon of bands that manage to be brutal and beautiful at the same time. Just listen to “When Darkness Falls”. That’s the first track. Trust me, that’s all you need to get hooked in. These bastards knew what they were doing. We never saw it coming. It’s layer after layer of amazing vocals, killer harmony, badass riffs and just all-around goody good stuff.

Truth is, though, there are no highlights in “Pray”. Everything is awesome, every single song, and that’s the trait of the best albums made. You just put it on and let yourself get carried away by majestic compositions. I will name my favorite, though, and it’s “Alone”. God damn, what a brilliant song.

I’m running out of good things to say. Let me just add this: I love the keyboards here. Keyboards are a really tricky thing, and even the most experienced bands can fuck up when it comes to keyboards. Crematory just reached level 70 of awesome keyboards. That should give you a hint of how good this is. Why am I still wasting my time and effort writing about this? If you have half-a-brain and the slightest taste in music, pick this up. This is one for the ages.

The cover: Finally something to complain about. This is disgraceful. I’ve said it time and time again that in this day and age of CG and Photoshop wizardry, it’s absolutely unforgivable to have a bad album cover. Well, here you go, Crematory managed to fuck this up.

9,5 “get a decent artist damn it!” out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: Massacre Records
- Website: www.crematory.de
- Band
- Gerhard “Felix” Stass: vocals
- Matthias Hechler: guitars, clean vocals
- Katrin Goger: keyboards
- Harald Heine; bass
- Markus Jüllich: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. When Darkness Falls
- 02. Left The Ground
- 03. Alone
- 04. Pray
- 05. Sleeping Solution
- 06. Just Words
- 07. Burning Bridges
- 08. Have You Ever
- 09. Remember
- 10. Say Goodbye