In the world of progressive metal, one of the genre’s most celebrated bands is Crimson Glory. Just recently, Cherry Red released a set devoted to the band. The set, The Roadrunner Years, is a box set consisting of the band’s first three albums from 1986 to 1991. While the music might not be perfect on each album, The Roadrunner Years is a solid release from Cherry Red.
A Little History
Crimson Glory were formed in Sarosota, Florida as Pierced Arrow. From 1979 to 1983, the band went through name changes and several line up changes. By 1983, the band had settled on the name Crimson Glory. The band’s classic and original line up consisted of singer Midnight, guitarists Jon Drenning and Ben Jackson, bassist Jeff Lords and drummer Dana Burnell. Along with their heavy sound, the band stood out for their theatrical looks on stage as the band would perform with masks on. By the mid 1980s, the band were signed to Roadrunner Records.
Given this is a set of albums, I will go through this review album by album.
Crimson Glory (1986)
Right off the bat, Crimson Glory came charging in with this power metal beauty. From beginning to end, the band are in fine form burning through song after song. Midnight screams like a banshee while the guitar work is impressive. Compared to some of the band’s later work, this is a more power metal based album. If any downsides, the second part of the album pales in comparison to the first part. Aside from that, Crimson Glory’s debut album is an all around barn burner.
Highlights: Dragon Lady, Queen of the Masquerade, Vahalla, Heart of Steel, Mayday
Rating: 7/10
Transcendence (1988)
Two years later, the band released what many consider to their strongest effort. Whereas the debut album was power metal, Transcendence is an all out progressive metal effort. Song by the song, there’s a lot of diversity here. Some songs are heavy while others can be super melodic. Everything that worked on the debut is taken up a notch here, resulting in a great album. The band are all in fine form and the production is stellar.
Highlights: Lady of Winter, Burning Bridge, Painted Skies, Red Sharks, Lonely
Rating: 7.5/10
Strange and Beautiful (1991)
Coming into the 1990s, times were changing in the music world. Jackson and Burnell left the band, leaving the other three guys with drummer Ravi Jakhotia. For the third album, the band took a 180 and changed the sound up with a more hard rock effort in the vein of Led Zeppelin, the glam metal scene and some hints of the grunge scene. The result, Strange and Beautiful, is a misaligned and overly long product. There’s a few good songs but this is pretty forgettable.
Highlights: Strange and Beautiful, Promise Land, Star Chamber, The Chant
Rating: 5/10
Later Years
Crimson Glory split soon after a tour in support of Strange and Beautiful. The band would work on other projects together until 1999 when Drenning, Jackson and Lords got back together to make another album. With singer Wade Black and former Savatage drummer Steve Wacholz, this line up made Astronomica. After another split, the band would get back together again in the mid 2000’s, with intention to make a new album with the classic line up. While the band had a label, this fell apart and the band ceased to be once more. Sadly, Midnight would pass in 2009, which resulted in a tribute show from the surviving members. The following year, the band hired singer Todd LaTorre, who they toured with for a few years. With little to no activity in the band, LaTorre would leave to join Queensryche, replacing original singer Geoff Tate. The band ceased activity for another decade until 2023 when Jackson, Lords and Burnell teamed up with singer Travis Willis and guitarist Mark Borgmeyer . This new version of Crimson Glory have been touring and released a new single late last year. Their next album is scheduled to come out in 2025.
Conclusion
The Roadrunner Years is another solid release from Cherry Red Records. While the set is strengthened heavily due to the quality of the first two albums, this gives you every album the band made from that time period. This is the easiest way to get those first three albums in one bundle. If one bought this set along with Astronomica on CD or digitally, they’d be ready to go and prepared for the band’s new album later this year. With that, The Roadrunner Years can be your kickstart to your collection of Crimson Glory music.
Overall rating: 7/10
I'm a writer/journalist with a passion for music and pop culture. Having graduated from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2014, I've been looking for a platform in which I can share my passions. Since 2009, I've been posting to my own blog- The Walrus' Music Blog- via Blogger. I'm also the author of two self-published books, "The Camp: Stories from the Summer" and "The College: Stories from King's." Together, the two books cover the story of my life from 2004 to 2014. I've been lucky enough to interview several of my favorite musicians over the years and go to concerts from time to time. I'm also very devoted to the CBS reality TV show Survivor, which I started watching in 2002 when its fourth season started. I currently live in New Jersey.