• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

The Last Of My Kind is a very strong debut from US band Crescent Shield, a kind of supergroup-by-accident started by ex Destiny's End/New Eden guitarist Dan DeLucie and his partner in crime Micheal Grant, who has sang with Onward, New Eden, Legend Maker, etc. Joined by former Sinergy and Raven Mad bassist Melanie Sisneros and ex Engine and Seven Witches drummer Craig Anderson, they become Crescent Shield – a US Metal machine of the old 80's school.

The former bands of the members give you some idea what to expect here. The Last Of My Kind is filled with classic metal sounds in the vein of New Eden, Onward, Helstar, Steel Prophet, and Overlorde. "Above Mere Mortals" kicks things off in fine style with chugging riffs and Grant's strong, distinctive vocals soaring on the chorus. There are other great tunes on here, like the dark, heavy "Rise Of The Red Crescent Moon", and the Fates Warning-ish epic title song. None of the songs are bad at all, and the band is tight and heavy, featuring some solid leads and enough technicality to satisfy pickier metalheads.

This is a very strong debut, and I like it a lot, but I can't quite call it a classic. Too many of the songs just blur together, no matter how many times I listen to them, and I have to say that the bouncy chorus of "The Path Once Chosen" is fairly cringe-worthy. I like this album a lot, and while it's on I have no complaints, but it just is not as strong as it could have been. Fans of old-fashioned US metal should not pass this up, and I do expect great things from this band in the future. Hopefully The Last Of My Kind is only the beginning of a long and kick-ass career.