So, Crossbones, they’re an Albanian rock band that started rehearsing in 1995 and have underwent a few lineup changes ever since.
Their current lineup consists of:
- Olsi Ballta: Vocals
- Klodi Shehu: Guitars/Bass
- Theodhoraq Napoloni: Drums
- Ben Turku: Guitars
They are also the first Albanian band to release a full-length album on CD back in 1997 where it was recorded in a home studio in Switzerland. The album was named Days of rage.
So, what do I think of the music? I like it but it’s basically not my style, I loved the drumming a lot, I gotta give the drummer some credit for his effort. The bass lines were great too; giving the guitars some needed low end with an insane bass solo in the track ‘The Sword of Democles’ – which is a nice transition to the guitars, while I loved their riffs even though I’ve heard ones, something was wrong with their recording or mastering. They simply had too much treble and lacked the bass punch needed in similar music. I’m not a bass head but the quality was a bit off. They also had a few beautiful solos. Now to the vocals, I loved Olsi’s voice, but his mastering was off as well. He was too low most of the time and barley heard – though this could be easily fixed.
Do I recommend this album? Well it depends on your taste, if you’re a hard rock fan that’s also into thrash then yea I’d recommend it. If you’re a guy who likes most genres and is willing to explore then I would recommend it. But they sound nothing like other bands and will not suit everyone especially casual listeners that cannot take the mastering problems. I’d give this album another give, though.
Written by: Youssef Nagy
Edited by: NJ Bakr
