Craneium – Unknown Heights
Release Date: 15th October 2021
Label: The Sign Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner, Desert Rock, Psychedelic, Hard Rock.
FFO: Witchcraft, Kal-El, Lo-Pan, Kyng, Vokonis, Testament.
Review By: Rich Sutcliffe
The Sign Records brings us the latest full length from Craneium entitled Unknown Heights and is a 35-minute, 6-song release. This LP is quite different from their 2 previous LPs released on Ripple Music, Explore the Void and The Narrow Line. First, this album is a big improvement in the production category. The sound is much bigger and fuller. The mix is superb, and really draws the listener in, especially during the clean atmospheric parts. Secondly, Unknown Heights displays tons of maturity in the songwriting compared to the other 2 LPs. Some may think that between the songwriting style and production this could be considered commercial radio rock, but there is a difference in having a catchy hook and playing it repeatedly and having a catchy hook and doing different things with it. The latter is what Craneium excels at on this release.
A Secret Garden starts things off with a very memorable song and I found myself singing the chorus well after listening to it. Standard Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus structure, but great a mellow/heavy dynamic that fits together perfectly. The melodic vocals stand out the most and would appeal to fans of Lo-Pan and Witchcraft.
Somber Aeons follows with somewhat of a ballad that reminded me of those ballads Testament would do in the late 80s. This song does have its heavy fuzz parts as well which are comparable to label mates Vokonis. Once again Craneium delivers with nice diversity.
While the previous 2 tracks were mostly vocal focused, Weight to Carry is the guitarist’s and bassist’s time to shine. Jonas Ridberg grooves along while Andreas Kaján and Martin Ahlö play octaves and bends. There are no tempo changes in this one, but it does not get boring nor sound repetitive even at over 7 minutes. Great musicianship on this one.
Shine Again brings us back to another incredible vocal performance. Spot on vocal harmonies mixed with dirty fuzz creates a beautiful dynamic. Harmonies that would give Kyng a run for their money. The clean parts once again remind me of Testament but done in their unique style. Another winner in the originality department. Well done.
We haven’t talked about the drummer yet. It’s not that he isn’t worth talking about either. Joel Kronqvist has shined on this whole album. On The Devil Drivers he stands out the most by playing a beat that is somewhat funky and groovy with a Kiss vibe to it. It is really something different that you don’t hear in this genre often, and they make it work. Another catchy chorus tops it off in another great song.
Craneium end the album with their title track Unknown Heights. Arguably the best song on the album. Song starts off slow and picks up the tempo toward the end of the song with a nice long guitar solo to end the song. Everyone is showcasing their talent on this one and the diversity in the riffs make this one extra enjoyable.
When I signed on to review albums, I promised myself that I would set my standards high to rate an album 5 stars. Every song on it would be excellent, the musicianship would have to be outstanding, and the production quality would have to do the music justice. I want to be honest and transparent. I feel sincere criticism can help a band improve. Even though this is only my second review, and I thought it would take a while before a band met the 5-star criteria, Craneium have delivered the perfect album with Unknown Heights.
(5 / 5)
