Crematory has been turning out their musical wares since 1991, in one incarnation or another. They were a little more raw in the early days, adding subtle hints of Electronica and cranking up the Goth a bit on the way. Their 2008 offering Pray is a full on Gothic Death Metal assault complete with the clean/growl vocal combo, piano/synthesizer presence and tight, heavy production.

A little more melodic and accessible than My Dying Bride, Crematory tend to put a few more commercial hooks into Pray, without going full on into MTV-goth. The melodies are somber and, while not blatantly copying anyone, also a tad familiar. The tempos range from your standard Gothic drone to more upbeat, head-banging passages. The growl vocals are deep and rich, while the clean vocals are melodic and competent. The interplay between the guitar riffs and the coloring of the keyboards comes off nicely. “Have You Ever”, “Left The Ground” (good energetic tempo), “Sleeping Solution” (nice mid-tempo groove and good melody), “Just Words” (haunting number with a creepy piano intro), and opening kicker “When Darkness Falls” are all strong, melodic songs.

While there’s nothing terribly new about Pray, it does manage to be a catchy, enjoyable Metal album. It’s more of the same without being mundane. Its well worth the repeated listens it’s going to get from me.

http://www.myspace.com/crematorymusic

[Visit the band's website]

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