Crescent Shield — by focusing more on progressive metal than on the band's earlier tendencies toward traditional metal — makes some giant strides on its second album, The Stars of Never Seen. Featuring former members of Onward (vocalist Michael Grant) and Destiny's End (guitarist Daniel DeLucie), this quartet may be from the United States, but Crescent Shield comes across as more European than ever on this collection of epic mid-paced tunes that range from the personal ("My Anger") to the historical ("The Endurance," which tells the tale of Ernest Shackleton's doomed voyage to Antarctica in the early 1900s — also the subject of a new concept album by Eureka). Stronger vocal interplay, more memorable melodies and a greater overall cohesion make this a more effective album than Crescent Shield's 2006's debut, The Last of My Kind. Think Queensr˙che meets Virgin Steele. What's more, warm, old-school production allows The Stars of Never Seen to sound like it originally was released about 25 years ago...
Track Listing:
1) Under Cover of Shadows
2) The Grand Horizon
3) Tides of Fire
4) 10,000 Midnights Ago
5) Temple of the Empty
6) My Anger
7) The Bellman
8) The Endurance
9) Lifespan
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