Band:	Vicious Crusade
Album:	Freedom Comes
Style:	Folk metal, Gothic metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	May 29, 2009
Guest review by:	Ch'ti

01. Dress Me Black
02. Bang The Drum
03. Freedom Comes
04. The Man With Heart Of Gold
05. Another Hero
06. My Cruel Mirror
07. Dreaming
08. Hellbound
09. A Day To Feel Alive
10. For The Last Time
11. Rock You Up!

An intriguing, powerful and original album that deserves more recognition.

I didn't know this band at all, for me it was a pure discovery, and what a discovery; the album is excellent, in many ways. From the start, the riffs are extremely catchy and easy to headbang along to, which generally is a sign of quality.

The unclean vocals are powerful and very impactful, especially in the choruses. The contrast between the unclean vocals and the much softer female vocals is very appreciable. When all the vocals attack you along with the guitar, you are captivated; the result is truly immersive. With the little extra from the violins, the result is very epic, and the epic and metal mix is really a plus in an album for me. The title track is a real banger; it hits you like a truck for your greatest pleasure. The song "The Man With Heart Of Gold" is excellent for the same reasons.

The album has small flaws, mainly its inconsistency; there are good tracks and not so good ones. I have already talked about the main highlights, but in terms of the rest, we have for example "Rock You Up!", which is much more classic-sounding than the tracks. It doesn't stand out in any way, and gives off the impression that it serves as filler in the album (at least at one moment there is a flute). This inconsistency does not do the album a great service; it's a shame because the album is rather effective without this downside.

In any case, Freedom Comes manages to have its own identity, one of the main factors that attests to the quality of an album in my opinion. It stands out with its mix of violin, feminine vocals, unclean vocals and excellent riffs. The album is a real gem; you can throw yourself in and discover real bangers to add to your playlist.

A random discovery that did not fail me, you can safely jump head first into it; Freedom Comes is worth the effort, no problems there.