Imagine if CHROMIUM were a misnamed punk or emo band. For the unimaginative among you, never fear, CHROMIUM is a righteous name for a band steeped in metal on their debut cd, Intro Spectre. They have one foot in a past age of rock yet the delivery keeps them contemporary. 　　
　　
On the cover, a child angel stands at attention. The look is expectant yet a part of me thinks of a soldier about to die. This bucketful of dramatic is reinforced by the namesake intro. 　　
　　
The first half of the cd grants great build. The vocal interplay on ‘Forgive Me' is extremely likable. Melody backed by fast growls has almost become an industry standard yet CHROMIUM sidesteps the cliché by having both sung at the same speed. The result is that even when the band gets heavy, they are always accessible. ‘Control' rushes us to the even quicker ‘I Wait' where rock vocals switch to back-up and guttural takes the lead in an abrasive staccato wonderfully reminiscent of Hatebreed. A drum anthem intros ‘Set me Free' before a break down lands us in an almost ballad. Nice! 　　
　　
With the exception of ‘Ex Amino' (sounds of brilliance) and the straight metal section of 'New Born Eyes', the second chapter of Intro Spectre doesn't maintain the standard of the first. It's not bad…just not as good. Nevertheless, the cd as a whole makes for an extremely promising debut and catapults CHROMIUM into one of the better metal acts in South Africa. Intro Spectre is well worth the purchase.