CRESENT – Cresent

Hailing from Greensboro, NC, USA, Cresent initially came to life late in 2000 with guitarist Alex Bledsoe and drummer Chris Tallman. Alex and Chris were interested in playing the music they loved rather than following trends. Thus, the idea for another new band to the cause for Traditional Metal was born. However, the songs and sound started to evolve when vocalist/guitarist Chris Parrish joined in the summer of 2001. Soon he felt uncomfortable with his instrument of choice combination, though, and opted to focus on vocals alone, leaving second guitar duties to Jamie Lam. Around the same time, bassist Preston Smith was added to the line-up. Shows in North Carolina and Virginia followed. Founding member Alex Bledsoe left, with Troy Shaw now handling one aspect of the guitar concept with Jamie Lam. This demo CD, recorded in 2006, is now being shopped around to labels.

Cresent’s main influence, either directly, or unconsciously, is definitely Iced Earth. The sonic impact of this demo might not equal that well-known Iced Earth style crunch, but the resemblance is uncanny. Most of the ingredients are there: the riffing, tempo changes, the guitar melodies, and the voice — that voice! Chris Parrish constantly brings to mind ex-Iced Earth vocalist Matt Barlow’s utterly recognizable voice. Perhaps Cresent is slightly more melodic, and less heavy than Iced Earth. Furthermore, they may be keener on different time signatures than what has been the case with at least more recent Iced Earth material, but the difference is minimal.

How is the material, then? While Cresent needs stronger memorable chorus values overall, it’s very tastefully arranged, with interesting passages. Overall song length is somewhat long, ranging between five to seven minutes. The drumming is particularly impressive and backs the musical vision in an excellent way, while the melodies are ever-present. Vocals are probably the weakest link for the band. Not that Chris Parrish is a bad singer … quite the contrary. He is a good vocalist, but the dramatic, Barlow-like delivery is at times over-exaggerated, bordering on slightly tedious and even ridiculous. There’s certainly no need to be that over the top with respect to delivery, especially when the likeness is natural.

The execution after the Old-School opening riff in “Last Gathering,” one of the stronger tracks, is a bit clumsy before picking up pace. Then again, this is a demo, and these executions occasionally tend to sound slightly clumsy when you don’t have a record company budget to fall back on — there’s not room for as many takes. “Garden Of Memories” has some Maiden-esque guitar harmonies, while Parrish uses some of his low range to deliver perhaps his best performance on the demo.

There’s a good underground movement for Traditional Metal in the USA that covers lots of talented bands for anyone willing to scrape off the shallow trends that many associate with the musical state in America. Cresent is another band willing to fly the flag and show their dedication, so more power to them! Apart from the somewhat lacking factor in the hooks department to give the material a more memorable stance, and the vocal approach issue at times, this six-track demo CD shows strong promise for the band. With luck, hopefully some label picks up on it.

Cresent 2006

Jamie Lam – Rhythm Guitar
Troy Shaw – Lead Guitar
Preston Smith – Bass
Chris Tallman – Drums
Chris Parrish – Vocals