Power metal band from Greece.
Crosswind - Opposing Forces / Beyond (Stormspell) 2007/2009
1. Up From The Pits [intro] (:25)
2. Nephilim Rising (3:46)
3. Conspiring Tongues [intro] (:22)
4. Weavers Of Nightmares (4:33)
5. A Moment Of Clarity [intro] (:22)
6. Awakening (4:21)
7. Walk In The Shadows (3:48)
8. Eye of the Storm (4:15)
9. Virture & Malice (3:47)
10. 300 (5:26)
11. March Of The Slaves (5:27)
This is definitely one of those hidden gems of metal. Crosswinds is an epic, melodic speed metal/power metal band from Greece. "Opposing Forces / Beyond" is basically a compilation of their independently recorded 2007 and 2009 demos. So what's the point? Well, these demos are worthy of being released on a label. This is not a cheesy demo from a bunch of guys trying to be rock stars. In fact, Crosswind are high-caliber heavy metal.
The sound is inspired by early power and speed metal pioneers such as Helloween, Running Wild, Gamma Ray and American bands like Heathens Rage, Manowar and many others. Fast and furious, but not flowery in the least, and certainly not infested with keyboard overkill. The album is full of little intros and interludes between the songs. In total there are seven original songs on this compilation, one cover of Queensryche's "Walk in the Shadows" and three interludes.
"Nephilim Rising" is the first song and it is a full-throttle, double-bass, thundering assault. The next actual song, "Weaves of Nightmares" slows things down slightly, but doesn't let up in the intensity. "Awakening" picks the tempo back up again. Crosswind's drummer gets quite the workout with each and every song. They nearly have the speed of a band like Dragonforce, yet they actually fare far better in my opinion. Where Crosswind excel is that every song doesn't sound exactly the same. The cover of Queensryche's "Walk in the Shadow" is a classy choice of a cover, and well done at that. Their version isn't all that different from Queesryche's version. It might have been cool if they had put their own spin on the song a little, perhaps speeding up the tempo. The album ends with "March of the Slaves", which is simply an ass kicker. The song is a galloping, classic metal song. Vocalist Kyriakos Vasdokas has a high, soaring voice and fits perfectly the music. He does an excellent job on the incredibly high vocals on "Walk in the Shadows".
It's rare to find a band that is this good that have only ever released a handful of demos. However, Crosswind really could be on just about any metal label without a problem. Stormspell was wise to snap up these demos for release on CD.