Transcendence [Original recording remastered, Extra tracks, Limited Edition]

Crimson Glory | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 15, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Extra tracks, Limited Edition
• Label: Massacre Germany
• ASIN: B0012OVEJY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,835 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In dark places... we find a shimmering prog metal gem, August 13, 2004

By 

M. B. Link "wildfirelink" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Transcendence (Audio CD)

Transcendence (1988). Crimson Glory's second studio album.

While progressive rock has been around for quite some time, progressive metal actually didn't really start to take off until the mid-80s when bands like Queensryche, Fates Warning, and Crimson Glory arrived on the scene. All three of these bands could've easily taken the 80s hair metal path that was all the rage during that time, but instead opted to make the wise choice and sign themselves to lesser known labels, thus enabling them to have more control over their music production and develop as music artists. This was years before prog metal bands like Dream Theater entered the scene, resulting in the genre literally EXPLODING with many bands throughout the 90s. Queensryche started off well with The Warning(1984) and Rage For Order(1986), while Fates Warning had the awesome The Spectre Within(1985) and Awakening The Guardian(1986). Crimson Glory also started strong with their debut album(1987), but unfortunately the band didn't have nearly as long of a career as their peers, and they broke up after their third album.

But in between the debut and their breakup album, Crimson Glory managed to release an OVERLOOKED 80s PROG METAL MASTERPIECE. Though they never achieved the popularity that Queensryche had received, they did acquire a massive cult following with Transcendence. This is one of those albums that I'd been wanting to get for a long time, but kept putting it off for a year in favor of other things, and now that I have it, I wish I'd bought it sooner! As a little insight on how I found this album, I first heard their music from the song samples on their website, and repeatedly played them again and again because they sounded so good. Well, I finally listened to the actual album and at first it sounded different from what I was used to, but then I realized that the sound clips WERE JUST DEMO OUTTAKES! This was a pleasant surprise to me because the finished album sounds even better than those clips. Anyways, Crimson Glory's sound falls between Iron Maiden and the aforementioned Queensryche and Fates Warning. The lead vocalist "Midnight" pulls off the singing in a very Geoff Tate-esque vocal style, but he does it very well, so I'm not complaining. Guitarists Jon Drenning and Ben Jackson make a suitable lead pair and generate lots of Maiden-like melodies. Bassist Jeff Lords and drummer Dana Burnell play their parts respectably too. Judging by the band's photos, you'd think that the bandmembers were just a bunch of hair metal guys, but the poofy hair and facepaint conceals the fact that underneath they actually write some great song lyrics about topics other than partying and girls.

Crimson Glory doesn't really try anything too over-the-top with their music and they aren't exactly the most talented players in their league. Perhaps my 5 star ranking of the album comes from the fact that on Transcendence the band KNOWS how to write excellent memorable songs. What we have here are 10 filler-free tracks of pure 80s-brand prog metal. 'Lady Of Winter' kicks things off, sounding much like early Queensryche. 'Painted Skies' and 'Burning Bridges' are the album's gloomy ballads, and they are quite good to boot. 'Where Dragons Rule' and 'Eternal World' are pulse pounding rockers that are catchy as well as technically proficient. My favorite tracks are the blazing 'Red Sharks' and 'Masque Of Red Death' as well as the grand epic 'In Dark Places'. The title track is sort of a haunting accoustic number that rounds off the album nicely.

Standout tracks: Red Sharks, Masque Of The Red Death, In Dark Places

All in all, Transcendence is a fine album and much better than I expected it to be. Honestly, I can't see any fan of early Queensryche and Fates Warning being disappointed at all with this album. It captures the band in its brief prime, just before fading away into obscurity. They did reunite briefly in 1998 with the album Astronomica, but without vocalist Midnight the band could never be what it once was. Though Transcendence doesn't quite top Queensryche's Rage For Order or Dream Theater's Images & Words(1992) as my favorite prog metal albums, it definitely ranks up there close enough. It certainly belongs in every metal collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Other similar albums:

-'Awakening The Guardian' by Fates Warning

-'The Warning' by Queensryche

-'Dimmension Hatross' by Voivod

-'Powerslave' by Iron Maiden

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential album, essential reissue - RIP Midnight, July 31, 2009

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Transcendence (Audio CD)

I've been reluctant to attempt a review of Crimson Glory's 1988 opus Transcendence for a while now. It's such a powerful and influential album that I feared I couldn't do it justice. Then I heard the news of former Crimson Glory vocalist Midnight's untimely death. I knew the man was struggling with alcoholism (I saw firsthand evidence of this at the ProgPower USA festival in 2006), but I don't think anyone expected this. I've been listening to Midnight's three albums with Crimson Glory - particularly Transcendence - a lot since I heard the news, so this seems like the appropriate way to pay tribute to the album and the man.

I guess the main elements of Transcendence's (and Crimson Glory's) sound are traditional, power and progressive heavy metal - in equal measure. Now that's a pretty standard formula these days, but in the 80's it was bands like Fates Warning, Queensryche, Savatage and Crimson Glory who were basically creating from scratch the template so many bands would later follow. We got a good feel for Crimson Glory's unique sound on the band's excellent 1986 self-titled debut, but it was Transcendence that really defined Crimson Glory.

I still can't decide if Transcendence is more a power metal or progressive metal album. The instrumentation on display here points in a prog metal direction, but the sheer power and epic dramatic flair of the songs suggests a power metal label. I guess it doesn't matter in the end. What matters is that albums like Transcendence were among the first metal releases that really showed the world just how far heavy metal could be taken. It was just a stunning display of power, emotion and technical ability. Jon Drenning's virtuoso guitar work and impeccable songwriting really set the tone for Transcendence, and when paired with Midnight's contributions, the result was absolutely unforgettable.

Midnight had one of the most unique and instantly recognizable voices in metal, not to mention a vocal register that could shatter glass. He hit notes on "Red Sharks" that I'm pretty sure only dogs can hear. The man's high-pitched wail was a signature component of Crimson Glory's sound, as was his considerable songwriting ability. It's easy to overlook that at first, especially when listening to standard fantasy-inspired numbers like "Masque of the Red Death" and "Where Dragons Rule", but when you read the lyrics to songs like "Painted Skies", "Transcendence" and "Lonely", you really get an insight into the troubled artist behind the silver mask.

Transcendence really is a must have album for all fans of 80's era heavy metal. It's a once in a lifetime release, and now that a key member of that lineup is no longer with us, we'll never see its like again. Rest in peace, Midnight.

Edition Notes: Metal Mind reissued Transcendence in 2008. The reissue - a numbered edition limited to 2,000 copies - comes housed in a digipack with expanded liner notes, digitally remastered sound, and a remixed version of "Lonely" added as a bonus track. The sound quality is the main reason to buy this reissue, as it's a big improvement over the original. Metal Mind also reissued Crimson Glory and Strange & Beautiful.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Majestic, monumental and powerful. Transcendental!, April 25, 2001

By 

I. MUNOZ (Montreal, PQ, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Transcendence (Audio CD)

The second release of CG is more symphonic than the first one, but still powerful and heavy. The first time I heard this CD I was really surprised. I must say that I though that Queensryche had no rival, but I was wrong: CG also plays what's called "the thinking man's metal", and it does it in a very artistic, authentic and original way. This is the kind of music that Pink Floyd would do if they were heavy metal players. The voice of Midnight delivers passion and melody. He is a real master of rock operatic vocals and falsettos. The rhythmic base, the guitar riffs and solos are superb; and the production succeeds in reaching a clear and equilibrated sound. While the entire CD is a masterpiece, I think that "Lady of Winter", "Lonely", "Painted Skies", "Eternal World" and "Transcendence" peak in maturity, composition and harmony. I just can say that if you like good rock and good music, you must buy this CD. You won't be disappointed: this is really a transcendental work of art!