Winter Crescent were formed in 2000 by guitarist Alexis Ktistakis, in Heraklion Crete, Greece, but it wasn’t until 2008 that the band line-up became stable and they released this their debut EP in May 2009. Apparently it gained a lot of press at the time (Greek Metal Hammer named it Pick of the Month in September 2009) but it has only just come to my attention. It never ceases to amaze me at just how much good music is out there that we rarely get to read about, and here is another good example. Imagine Progressive Metal a la Fates Warning that also contains some Savatage influences then you may just get close to the mark. The feeling here is of a very strong unit, which is tight and heavy when they need to be but are also very aware of the need for light within the shade. There is a polish, an added gloss that provides a shine without taking away from any of the powerful riffs.
Complex twin lead breaks with an almost mathcore intensity lead into riffs that are tight and solid. It is hard to realise that this is a debut self-released EP (35 minutes with 7 songs), and not something from a major label as this shouts class from start to end. Apparently the guys have recently been in the studio working on their first full-length album but until that is ready I urge you to discover this further, as this really hits the mark. http://www.wintercrescent.bandcamp.com/. Thanos has set up the site so that if you put in the discount code ‘mlwz’ you get a 95% discount, so what are you waiting for?
