This Remix/Remaster Slays!
Ugetsu9 | 07/17/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In 2002, Halford released its second studio CD, Crucible. The bar was set high by its predecessor, Resurrection in early August of 2000 so this one was eagerly anticipated.
Rather than playing it safe and releasing a second CD of semi "classic metal," Halford explored some new territory with Crucible, showing a more aggressive and edgy side this time out, though not quite as heavy as his previous band, Fight. Crucible still maintained resonances of that melodic metal that defined the magnificent Resurrection but it also went a step further and was warmly welcomed into my CD rack.
Despite being a very worthy follow up to it's successor, Crucible carried with it a tragic flaw: A botched production, making a CD of amazing potential sound as if it were recorded in a basement by a drunken version of the old Samsonite luggage chimpanzee. Saying this CD lacked clarity and definition is like saying Bush and Cheney had high moral and ethical standards. A raw production is fine but in 2002, there's no reason to pass off a careless, narrow, sloppy, muddy sound. Roy Z, in my opinion did a hatchet job on this disc, one that borders on embarrassing.
And I've heard the various excuses as to why this happened. Roy Z was "looking for a 70's sound" out of the disc. Another one, as a previous reviewer noted was the band was operating on limited time, with a world tour to start imminently. I'm not sure I believe either one as Resurrection suffers from a certain lack of high-end and definition but not to the extent Crucible got screwed with and I`m seeing a pattern.
2010 sees this flaw corrected as Crucible has been reissued in a remixed and remastered format. A fellow named Tue Madsen remixed the disc while Tom Baker was responsible for the remastering. And what a job these guys did!
Crucible 2010 includes four tracks which were previously released on Japanese and special editions (Rock The World Forever, In The Morning, She and Fugitive). The track listing has also been completely re-ordered and features new artwork. The booklet is some 26 pages however the majority of it is lyrics. There is nice documentation at the end, written by Rob about the writing and recording sessions as well as when they took place.
Now, on to the music. All it takes is one listen and it's readily apparent someone took the time and effort to make this CD sound the way it should. Sonically, there's more bass and more treble and it has an overall, fuller, more expansive sound. The vocals are generously brought far up in the mix and they show a crispness and definition worthy of a voice like Rob Halford's. Wait until you hear Golgatha. Without exaggeration, this remix makes you think you're hearing some of these tracks for the first time, that's how cleaned up they are. I immediately got the impression that this the true realization of how RH wanted his second studio CD to sound. For the first time, you can really hear the vocals on Crucible cleanly and distinctly, not as part of a confused miasma of audiological mush. At time the vocals are multi layered which changes the songs somewhat, however it doesn't detract from them.
The guitars have some extra mid range dialed in and in a few passages where there's just one guitar playing, it really sounds "live." The bass has also been brought up markedly in the mix and defined better. DO NOT add bass while listening to this CD. There's no need, trust me. The drums are clear, thick, and there are cymbal hits I honestly never noticed before because of the previous, disastrous "production."
There have been other embellishments such as some keyboard lines on the title track as well as some processing effects on Crystal. I also think there's a whispering of a cello on In The Morning though admittedly that could have been my car's brakes. Very little is left of Park Manor but we'll survive. I'm of the opinion these little touches add to the material rather than detract, however be your own judge.
Summarizing, for the first time, we're hearing individual instruments shine on Crucible, retaining their very distinctive characteristics yet still functioning nicely in the big mix. I imagine this is what Halford truly envisioned Crucible to sound like and I thank Tue Madsen and Tom Baker for giving this disc the respect that it deserves.
Crucible would have been a strong 4.5 star rating but the inclusion of these 4 extra tracks blasts it to a 5. Way to go, Rob!
Roy, I still think you're a damned fine guitar player.
"
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1
