Crystal Ball - Dawnbreaker (2013)

About a decade ago I was listening to this unknown band Crystal Ball in their album Hellvetia. They remained good in memory because it was kind of simple power metal and friendly to ear. Not much attention to them and now they are back with new album Dawnbreaker. Encyclopaedia Metallum listed at least two more albums in between Hellvetia and this one, so I missed that two. They are also changes of formation with now only guitarist Scott Leach and drummer Marcel Sardella from that album. Meaning they had survive hardship and probably the music reflected something on this. Yes they are.

Dawnbreaker is leaning toward heavy metal in general by now and lesser their power metal accent. Zarathustra is one and half minute meditation time before we got the first riff incoming. Break Of Dawn starts as thick heavy metal singing ala Van Halen but the choruses at least show the traces of European power metal. It's definitely their new sound, we can now called them easily Melodic metal with all the sweet verses and chorus as in The Brothers Were Right. We got nice ballad in Eternal Flame. Skin To Skin is back to '80s mid tempo glam metal feel. As the rest are simply catching ear riffs with nice song, Walls Fall Down is familiar to everyone, Power Pack is hard rock in spirit.

This accessible hard rock / melodic metal album to everyone. A big jump from the Hellvetia album I mentioned in the first paragraph. Their chances is like Europe who gone from galloping Final Countdown to hard rock. Coming from Lucerne, Switzerland , the band geographically close enough to get in touch with another influential band such as U.D.O which helped them in tour and recording. Also they touring with Pink Cream 69, Dokken and Doro, so you got the pictures. Dawnbreaker is clean in production, Crystal Ball deserved in your collection if you haven't got any of them.

Metal Harem class: ******** eight stars out of ten

Crystal Ball - Dawnbreaker (2013)
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01. Zarathustra 1:29
02. Break Of Dawn 3:10
03. Anyone Can Be A Hero 3:51
04. The Brothers Were Right 3:38
05. Eternal Flame 3:47
06. Skin To Skin 4:45
07. Walls Fall Down 4:10
08. Back For Good 4:11
09. Power Pack 4:07
10. Stranded 5:37
11. Sun Came Out 4:34

Scott Leach - guitar
Marcel Sardella - drums
Cris Stone - bass
Steven Mageney - vocals
Markus Flury - guitars