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(7/10) Crossbones isn't a new outfit of Italian guitarist Dario Mollo. He started with the band already back in 1981, but it was his cooperation with Tony Martin and Glenn Hughes that brought him more into the spotlight.
Now, in 2016, Mollo returns to his roots by releasing a new album of Crossbones. "Rock the Cradle" features ten interesting hardrock songs, covering a wider range of styles. Let's take the first three tracks as an example. "Red" is number one on the album and comes with a strong 70's classic rock approach. A good song and a well-done opener. With "Take Me High" Mollo leaves the 70's and enters the 80's. More than once I had to think about Rainbow in the "Difficult to Cure" days. The last song in this triple is called "Navigation" and things change again. The beginning of this tune is cold, connected to some samples and a gloomy modern metal riff.
This journey through styles continues with the title track that switches between Nu metal riffs and silent moments. "Gates of Time" is the obligatory ballad on the longplayer before a melodic rocker called "I Got This Feeling" brings back the adrenaline.
"Rock the Cradle" is a strange album. Even though there is some more consistency towards the end the longplayer feels scattered since there are so many styles and variations included in each of the ten tunes. Each song for itself might be a good one, but I partly miss the common features due to a lacking red thread. It feels more like Mollo playing what he's burning for, which of course is a good thing. However, a bit more of a homogenous expression would have been a good thing.
(7/10)
Tracklist:
- Red
- Take Me High
- Navigation
- Rock the Cradle
- Gates of Time
- I Got This Feeling
- In My Blood
- Running from the Shadow
- Speed
- Fright
Label: Frontiers Music
Genre: Melodic Metal
Release Date EU: December 2nd, 2016
