Crystal Ball - Hellvetia

Finally, a long wait is over; finally I got my hand on the new Crystal Ball album, "HELLvetia".
Since I heard their last effort, "Virtual Empire" for the fist time, I've been stuck in their music, and Mark Sweeney is a wonderful singer and his voice is bewitching.
I can't count every time I have got goose pimples when I heard great songs like, "Private Visitor", "Am I Free?" or "Hands of God". So the biggest issue before this release, will "Crystal Ball" keep up the good work they have done with the their past releases? Well, "HELLvetia" is no "Virtual Empire" that's for sure, but it's not easy to follow up a release like that. But it is a really good album, no doubt about that and Mark is as wonderful as always. And I know, after just a hand full of listening, that this album is going to be played a lot in my stereo.
"HELLvetia" is "Crystal Ball's" 4th full-length album and not the best, but the most solid one.
It starts with the title song, "HELLvetia" a really nice hymn, with a wonderful intro with birds and a nice little tune with some Swiss "jojking". And then does a lot of great songs follow, songs like "Forever And Eternally", which is one of the best on this release, but it don't have the bewitching effect that "Private Visitor" from "Virtual Empire" have. And the songs "My Life", "Opposites Attract", "Last Dance", Pictures of Love" & "Bird on a Wire". Yes, a lot of great Melodic songs, that surely will get to your head, but I still miss the "Private Visitor" follow up, but I'll have to do the best of it and listen to "HELLvetia" a lot of times more, maybe is it hiding somewhere on the album? This is still a solid release and I'm not disappointed with it, not even a little, it's just that's this one don't have THE song as many albums have today, and as I like very much, that there is one song, better than all the others that won't leave your head, never. But I guess I have to be satisfied with "Private Visitor" from the last release, and enjoy this one as much as possible, and that's gonna be easy with a solid album like this. For all of you that have missed these great Swiss guys, check them out; this is a nice Metal band, Melodic Metal, or Hardrock, chouse for your self. Luckily the labels have found them, 'cause I guess that a big label like Nuclear Blast should sign them if they didn't believe in them. And I believe in "Crystal Ball" too, 'cause I know that they will release a great release after a great release for me. Killing Songs: "Forever And Eternally", "My Life" & "Bird on a Wire" are the only that is better than someone else; otherwise it's a really solid album.
~ written by Malcolm

Tracks
01. HELLvetia
02. Forever And Eternally
03. My Life
04. Opposites Attract
05. Last Dance
06. Want It All
07. One Day At A Time
08. Pictures Of Love
09. Misery Needs Company
10. Bird On A Wire
11. Wasn't It Love
12. Seeing Is Believing [bonus]

Details
.. Year: 2003
.. Label: Nuclear Blast
.. Country: Switzerland
.. Bitrate: VBR
.. Home-Page: www.crystal-ball.ch/
.. MySpace: n/a
.. BUY ME: n/a
.. BUY ME: n/a

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