Band:	Crematory
Album:	Act Seven
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	March 1999
A review by:	Jeff

01. Shining
02. I Never Die
03. Moonlight
04. Fly
05. Memory
06. The Holy One
07. The Game
08. Waiting
09. Awake
10. Tale
11. Do You Know [bonus]
12. Welcome To... [bonus]
13. Fly [apocalypse mix version] [bonus]
14. Fly [maxi version] [bonus]

The German Gothic/Death band Crematory is certainly one of the best in that style. With Act Seven they show us once more all their know-how, for this album is a complete success. For you to have an idea, melt catchy melodies with melodic or sharp riffs, a death singing [that could make Rohonyi, Akerfeldt and co green with envy] alternated with pure and limpid [sometimes female] vocals, some keyboard parts, along with a quality bass and drums line, and you get an explosive mixture. Act Seven has tracks that still have gloomy inspirations, but that can be haunting or hyper rhythmed, and that gives the album an agreeable dimension, thanks to this diversity of songwriting. And yet don's expect a depressing cd because even if the lyrics are rather dark, the melodies are so catchy that you will find yourself on almost all the songs furiously headbanging... Indeed this is not unpleasant.

The musicians are all very good, for example I noticed the quality of Mathias? guitar solos [yeah there are guitar solos in Crematory]. With cult songs like 'Moonlight', 'Fly', 'I Never Die' or the wonderful ballad 'Tale', you will never forget this album.

As far as the production is concerned, no problem, the sound is clean we can only applause Gerhard Magin's work, nothing else to say...

In a nutshell, Act Seven is simply an album every fan of "agitated" gothic metal must have, because the more you listen to it, the more you can's live without: this is rare enough to be noticed. By listening to this album you may become a Crematory-addict!!!

To end with this, I?d like to advise the so-called "gothic music" fans that worship all these new-wave bands like To Die For, Charon, Him etc etc to watch for good old bands like Crematory because THIS is real good gothic metal, as melodic as you can wish, and of a less dubious quality than all these trendy bands...

Act Seven is nothing but a must for your nice CD collection.