Crossfade

Crossfade | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 13, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0001XAMNQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (129 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,087 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Crossfade

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Band - Flawed Release, December 27, 2004

By 

TOL (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crossfade (Audio CD)

This is a great band. Although I live in their home town of Columbia and I did hear about them back in their Sugardaddy Superstar days, I only actually heard about this CD through Taxi - which is the independant A&R company that got them signed. And I have to say, they deserve every bit of the success that will surely come their way. They are absolutely terrific songwriters with catchy hooks, great musicianship, and smooth dead-on vocals that really come through on this CD. I have read the other reviews that say this band lacks originality and, I have to say that I don't totally disagree on Tracks 5-10. But it doesn't really bother me because it seems to me that the band is still trying to find themselves, and they certainly have a lot of talent to work with. So let them be a little unoriginal at first, as long as they progress as they grow. That said, tracks 1-4 really define this band. These are, by far, the strongest tracks on the CD featuring an original songwriting style that, if drawn upon for future albums, should give them the long musical careers that they deserve. On tracks 5-10, there are obvious influences from other bands - most notably, in my opinion, P.O.D. and Linkin Park. Again, I think this is OK for their first release because the songs are just that good. My complaint is that they don't pull off the styles as well as the original bands that defined them. For example, on a few tracks, they try to mix a bit of rap rock into the choruses - a task better left to Linkin Park or Limp Bizkit. This vocalist just doesn't have the right style for it. But, all of that aside, the talent and songwriting ability of this band shines through any "start-up" problems that they may have. And if they continue to draw upon the totally original and self-defining style that they establish on tracks 1-4, their future looks very bright indeed. So, overall, for the songs, I would give it 5 stars.

So why the 4 star rating? Well, it has everything to do with the production. The CD was recorded in their basement studio and the record label picked it up, re-engineered it, and released it. And although they obviously did a good job on the original basement recording, and the mixing engineers up in Canada did an even better job on the re-engineering, I think this band deserves better. The album features some VERY powerful songs. And powerful songs deserve a powerful recording. Because it was recorded in a home studio, the drums sound flat and the mix sounds a bit lacking. Don't get me wrong, everyone did a great job and the recording is immensely listenable. But I just think that the record company could have sprung for the few extra bucks and put these guys into a real studio. With songs like these, it would pay them back twenty-fold. I know the recording industry isn't in the best shape right now, but they should still be willing to invest in their talent. And I think they did these guys an injustice by not giving them the best recording they could possibly deliver.

My second problem has to do with the length of the CD. With 10 songs at just over 3 minutes a piece, the entire album clocks in at just over 34 minutes. That's fine for a demo CD, but not for a major label release. With the rise of music downloads, consumers expect to pay NO MORE than $0.99 per song. At a list price of $12.98, this album just doesn't add up financially - especially given the fact that the recording was done in a basement. Again, this is not the band's fault. It's just that consumers deserve better and, by not delivering it to us, the label is putting the band at a disadvantage.

So, overall, this is a great band with a great album that should have been longer and better produced. But the future looks bright as long as the record label gives them the proper support that they deserve. Let's hope for more next time...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey, it was good..., September 3, 2006

By 

Nolan Lewis "Indrid Cold" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Crossfade (Audio CD)

Well Crossfade may just be another modern rock Alt Metal band but that doesn't make them bad. Sure, they don't really add anything new to the music out now but that shouldn't take away from the music itself. All I know is from what I heard they have some really good tracks. I first heard the track "Cold" on the radio and it was just one of those songs that I love instantly. I just had to go out and get the album. After getting the album It turned out to be pretty good. I pretty much enjoyed everything on here. Although, my favorite tracks would have to be "Cold", "Starless", "Colors", and "Dead Skin". Here's the track ratings...

1. Starless - 9.5/10
2. Cold - 10/10
3. So Far Away - 9.5/10
4. Colors - 10/10
5. Death Trend Setta - 10/10
6. The Deep End - 9/10
7. No Giving Up - 9.5/10
8. Dead Skin - 10/10
9. Disco - 7/10
10. The Unknown - 9/10

Overall: 93% A-

Sure, it's not really anything new but It is good and a nice listen. I enjoyed this album very much and am very curious to see what Crossfade has done with their new album that was just released. Anyway, anyone who's into this style of music will probably end up finding a bunch of other good tracks for their music collection.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice!!, October 29, 2004

By 

Eddie "A Veteran Rock & Metal Listener" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crossfade (Audio CD)

Crossfade seriously rock!. They should stay with their own style tho (no more disco and Death Trend Setta please!!) Here's my song by song breakdown...

1. Starless - Alot of variety on the song. Great chorus. Hated the "Rap" part in the end at first but it kinda builds on u. 9
2. Cold - First song i heard from the album. Made me get the album. 9.5
3. So Far Away - I love how this song starts. One of the best songs off this album. 10
4. Colors - its good but "surely not the best". The first three songs are much better 7.5
5. Death Trend Setta - Too familiar and too crappy. Although i love that opening riff, up until the singing.. Personally did not like. 5
6. Deep End - Great song with a great chorus. 8.5
7. No Giving Up - Nice opening. Solid song. 9
8. Dead Skin - Softer than others. Ok song. 7.5
9. Disco - Too "disturbed". Not the best song but not as sucky as ppl say. 6
10. The Unknown - Great way to end the album. Too redundant tho 8

So songs on the "Best Of" playlist would be:
- So Far Away
- Starless (Tho i still dislike that rapping part in the end)
- Cold
- No Giving Up
- The Deep End

This is an overall good album. Very much worth the thirteen bucks. Also check out Lo-Pro's debut, as well as Breaking Benjamin...