CHARING CROSS – We Are…

Despite the fact that Charing Cross, a Melodic Heavy Metal band from Switzerland, was formed back in 1993, they released their first full-length album this year. The band has undergone a lot of line-up changes, and it took them twelve years, four demos and one EP before they had a steady line-up. That being said, the band has a lot of live experience and have played with bands such as Nazareth, Suzie Quattro and Soul Sirkus.

The album has a nice and balanced mix between tough Hard Rock songs and melodic Heavy Metal songs. Songs like the opener “Final Day” and the second track “Kick Ass Rock N’ Roll” are both good songs that it seems the band has worked on for quite a while. “Voices” is perhaps the best track on the album. The riffs are mighty and Peter Hochuli’s vocal is most diverse and powerful on this track. At times he does some high pitched singing as well, but he is clearly a singer that does his stuff best in the mid-range.

“Goin’ Down” is not as good as the other songs on the album. It has a cool chorus, but that’s about it. Charing Cross is a band that seem to make use of the traditional 80s “shouting choir” on a regular basis. You’ll find this in most of the choruses on this album, and though it’s a bit dated, it sounds really cool.

“Forever Rockin’” is a cool track that keeps the pace up all the way; there are no low-points in the song. It also sees some fine guitar work from Pascal Zwyssig and Andy Dormann. This album was produced and mixed by the band itself, and there’s the first mistake they made because the drum sound isn’t much to brag about. The kick drum sounds like crap all the time, but you really hear it when drummer Tommy Pfiffner makes use of his double kick drum pedal. There is just way too much bass in the kicks. Actually there is only bass in the kicks, and you can’t really hear the kick itself. This either comes from poor judgement or bad hearing. Let’s hope it isn’t the latter.

Most of the songs are strong, but throughout the album it becomes a bit repetitive. It’s a good debut and it looks promising for the future of this band. If you like good Melodic Heavy Metal with a bit of the 80s attitude, then you should pick up this album. Charing Cross’ first full-length release We Are Charing Cross has a lot to offer you.

Lineup

Peter Hochuli –Vocals
Pascal Zwyssig – Guitars
Andy Dormann – Guitars
Markus Flury – Bass
Tommy Pfiffner – Drums

Tracklist

1. Final Day
2. Kick Ass Rock N’ Roll
3. Burn The Sun
4. Ain’t Got No Time
5. Can’t Have It All
6. Voices
7. Goin’ Down
8. Long Time Ago
9. Palace Of Fate
10. Forever Rockin’
11. Broken
12. Vanished Memories