Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Cross, David
Label: Noisy Records
Release: 2016
Runtime: 61:27
Rating: 4.5/5
Most prog rock fans remember violinist and keyboardist David Cross best as a former member of the legendary King Crimson, with whom he made two classic studio albums between 1973 and 1974. David, who, much like the better-known Eddie Jobson, mostly swears by the electric violin, went on to focus largely on a solo career in the decades after leaving King Crimson, not counting his work with the band Radius and assorted side projects, among them a recent collaboration with his former ‘boss’, Robert Fripp, on the record »Starless Starlight« (2015). About a decade ago, David set up his own backing band, the ‘David Cross Band’, and with it he recorded his latest studio album, »Sign of the Crow«.
On it he joined forces with singer Jinian Wilde, guitarist Paul Clark (Credo), bassist Mick Paul and, the best-known member of his backing lineup, drummer Craig Blundell (Pendragon, Frost*, Lonely Robot). The lyrics came from none other than Cross’s longtime collaborator Richard Palmer-James, a founding member of the legendary Supetramp, whom he’s known since the days when Palmer-James was writing lyrics for King Crimson. Unlike his predecessor, Peter Sinfield, though, Richard never became a member of the ‘Crimson Kings’ during his short stretch of collaboration with them.
Compared to most of David’s output so far, which leaned mostly toward the jazz fusion world, »Sign of the Crow« is quite a surprise and a big stylistic swerve. At times it’s a downright progressive metal album, but structured in an incredibly intelligent way, with plenty of crazy experimental moments that make you think King Crimson went back into the studio and went through yet another sonic mutation. Let’s not forget that David played on one of the best King Crimson songs of all time, »Starless«, which never sounded quite ‘right’ again without his violin, and the sound of that phase of the legendary band has clearly ‘stayed in his heart’.
Besides its dominant dark ambience, »Sign of the Crow« also boasts modern production, and more than once you can hear that Mr. Cross is clearly familiar with what Steven Wilson and Opeth have been up to lately. He seems to be one of the few musicians of his generation who likes to check out what’s going on in the contemporary prog rock scene, which counts as a big plus. »Starfall« is a mighty album opener, packed with frenzied violin improvisations, relentless drum fills and furious guitar passages. Wilde has a rather distinctive, slightly annoying tone of voice, which, despite that or maybe precisely because of it, fits the sonic character of this album perfectly. The title track is a proper cataclysmic rhythmic carousel, with no breathing room and plenty of combative metal passages. There’s no shortage of eclectic violin harmonies either, which ‘complicate’ things quite a bit at times, plus virtuoso guitar variations that will have every fan of technically top-notch prog licking their lips.
The uncompromising »Crowd Surfing«, another track wound tight rhythmically to the very end, will probably go down best with fans of (modern-day) Opeth. »The Pool«, where things calm down a bit rhythmically and ambient-wise and pick up ‘brighter shades’, has epic violin arrangements and a melancholy acoustic guitar melody that brings a slight folk touch to the piece. The central symphonic arrangement, paired with Palmer-James’s lyrics, strongly recalls some of King Crimson’s work from 1973 to 1974. The gloomy mood returns on the next experimental labyrinth, »Raintwist«, which features pentatonic scales, metal guitar passages, electronic effects and a slightly oriental violin melody, while Wilde’s vocals get run through a vocoder a few times. »Spiderboy«, one of the rawest moments on »Sign of the Crow«, serves up a crazy crossbreed of symphonic, metal and jazz elements, with Blundell’s cataclysmic drum transitions, furious violin passages and Wilde’s vengeful singing.
»Mumbo Jumbo« is the kind of title Frank Zappa would have come up with, if he were still alive, or maybe The Aristocrats, not something you’d expect from David Cross Band. Despite the playful title, though, David’s band once again isn’t joking one bit. The dystopian atmosphere builds by the second, while wild rhythmic jumps, raging guitar and violin variations and dramatic vocal harmonies keep trading places. The instrumental »Water on the Flame«, much like »The Pool«, is quite a stylistic departure from most of the other, more metal-leaning pieces on the album, being a more ‘traditional’ David solo-style piece with jazz fusion elements and a somewhat more relaxing ambience. The closer, »Rain Rain«, another peak of the album with a strong King Crimson stamp, has an epic scale thanks to a mighty chorus that thrills amid countless dramatic orchestral arrangements, enraged guitar passages, rumbling bass lines and breathtaking drum transitions.
It would be a bit bold to declare »Sign of the Crow« the best King Crimson album that never was, but that label isn’t all that exaggerated once you analyze it more closely and its stunning ambient depth and sonic eclecticism reveal themselves. David Cross Band, fronted by a cult violin virtuoso, has pulled off a surprise: a modern prog rock/prog metal masterpiece with a post-apocalyptic vibe and fantastic production. Beyond King Crimson fans, it’s bound to win over a few new followers to David’s body of work, namely folks who until recently listened to nothing but progressive metal and want to slowly widen their musical horizons. At the same time, Mr. Cross deserves to be held up as a shining example of a musician who made his most celebrated achievements back in the seventies yet still isn’t ashamed to experiment with new styles, at times closer to prog metal than to traditional prog rock and jazz rock fusion. He’s even been hugely successful at it, casually putting out one of the finest prog albums of 2016.
Lineup
David Cross – violin
Jinian Wilde – vocals
Paul Clark – guitar
Mick Paul – bass guitar
Craig Blundell – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Alex Hall – keyboards (2,3,4)
Production
David Cross
Tracklist
1. Starfall (5:52)
2. Sign Of The Crow (7:04)
3. Crowdsurfing (5:03)
4. The Pool (9:07)
5. Raintwist (6:26)
6. Spiderboy (7:05)
7. Mumbo Jumbo (5:52)
8. Water On The Flame (5:27)
9. Rain Rain (9:31)
