Fall Of Serenity is one of those bands that started out as a hardcore/metalcore act, but evolved more into the Gothenburg sound during the years. This comes down to a blend of German metalcore with thrash and melodic death metal. Certainly not a bad combination if you ask me.

I therefore liked their previous release Bloodred Salvation a lot, but the line-up didn't remain the same after that album. Singer René Betzold left the group, while no new frontman was recruited. Bass player John Gahlert took over de mic while at the same time guitar player Alex Fischer took over the bass. Ferdinand Rewicki was appointed as the new guitar player of the band.

These line-up changes however didn't affect the sound of Fall Of Serenity that much. The guitars are used a bit more and this record therefore sounds a little more melodic than its predecessor. But besides the more melodic approach I unfortunately have to conclude that The Crossfire isn't really a step forward after last year's Bloodred Salvation. The Crossfire was mixed and mastered by no one else then Dan Swanö, which caused a better production, but I also have to add that the more raw sound of Bloodred Salvation did it better for me.

I now might sound a bit disappointed about The Crossfire because I expected more in advance, but it's certainly not a bad album. As said, the production is very well which makes it an accessible listen for a wide range of metal fans. It also features some cool songs such as the brutal titletrack, the double bass chattering 'A Whore Called Freedom' which reminds me of Heaven Shall Burn and 'Funeral Eclipse', in which the high vocals let me think of Scar Symmetry.

All in all a very decent record, it's just that the songs don't stick around in your head after listening. I think they'll appeal a lot more to me when they're played live, and so I'm curious about their live performance. A tour in February together with Dismember and Hatesphere will make that clear for me.