I originally said the Kreyson were a German band, but I stand corrected. Kreyson are a speed metal band from the Czech Republic that incorporate classic heavy metal and neo-classical elements with Christian based lyrics. The band was formed by vocalist Lans Kreyson (real name: Ladislav Krizek). Besides the two releases that I have, there were a few others that were only released in the Czech Republic.

Angel on the Run Kreyson - Angel on the Run (Flametrader) 1990

1. "Kreyson" (4:05)
2. "Skalp" (3:11)
3. "Deep In The Night" (4:29)
4. "No Blue Skies" (4:15)
5. "Faraway" (4:22)
6. "Angel on the Run" (3:07)
7. "Dreamin'" (3:59)
8. "Golden Ark" (3:34)
9. "I Need You" (5:48)
10. "Fade Out" (3:14)

Co-produced by Kreyson and Running Wild's Rock 'n' Rolf, this is another fine heavy metal release with neo-classical influences, not unlike Helloween, Blind Guardian, Seventh Avenue or Running Wild. Although this band comes from the Chez Republic they were released only in Japan and Germany. Why is it Germany has all the cool speed metal? There is a superior Japanese version of this album with better cover art, a full booklet with lyrics and better mastering, but it is virtually impossible to find. I got this copy in a trade with a Japanese cd trader. I was somewhat disappointed when it arrived and it was the German version with no lyrics and the weaker mastering. Still, a good listen from beginning to end.

Crusader Kreyson - Crusaders (Victor) 1993

1. "Pilgrimage" [instrumental] (2:47)
2. "Crusaders" (5:15)
3. "Commandments" (3:41)
4. "No Bad Thing" (4:22)
5. "Still" (4:03)
6. "Stay A Moment" (3:43)
7. "Forgiveness" (3:23)
8. "Cries" (4:56)
9. "Give Me Hope" (3:21)
10. "The Prisoner" (4:17)
11. "Kreyson" (CS Words Version) (4:10)

Kreyson's second release is tighter and better produced than "Angel on the Run," but it is also a bit slower. Rather than speed metal, I would probably label this one as power metal. My copy is a Japanese release on RCA/Victor, so the mastering is excellent. I have heard that other versions of this have inferior mastering. Also came with one of those nifty booklets with all the lyrics in Japanese and an obi strip.

Kreyson – 20 Years of Kreyson (Retroactive) 2009

  1. "Judgment Day" (3:57)
  2. "Cursing And Crying" (3:40)
  3. "Ten" (3:01)
  4. "Cry Out" (3:02)
  5. "The Lord Will Come" (3:38)
  6. "Mary" (3:53)
  7. "Parable" (4:27)
  8. "Stay" (3:27)
  9. "Endure The Night" (4:25)
  10. "Warrior Angel" (2:46)
Kreyson is a classic heavy metal band from The Czech Republic that was founded in the late 1980’s. The band has released several albums in both Czech and English. Towards the end of the 1990’s the band went on an extended hiatus but regroupe in 2008 to re-record a live album and now to re-record some of the band’s favorite songs from their past albums. To be quite frank, though I am familiar with this band and have owned a few of their albums for severaal years, I am not familiar enough with them to pick out favorite songs. As a matter of fact, this album of re-recorded classics sounds like a band new album to me. A bit of research revealed that seven of the tracks from 20 Years Of Kreyson are re-recorded versions of songs from “Angel On The Run” while one other is from “Crusaders”. The remaining tracks I can only assume were from some of the Czech albums as I could find no information on them. What made this information difficult to attain is that a few of these song titles have been changed, as well as some of the lyrics. As such, even if a fan is deeply familiar with these tracks, they still may sound like completely different songs due to these changes.

Their sound is a mixture of classic heavy metal, power metal and neo-classical heavy metal, all boiling down into a style I would describe as melodic metal. All the necessary ingredients are included; big, hooky choruses, fierce guitar solos, thundering drums and melodic vocals. However, on some songs, such as “Warrior Angel” and opening track “Judgment Day” the band even borders on speed metal, not unlike early Helloween.  Vocalist Ladislav Krizek has a good voice with a heavy accent and he incorporates some nice falsetto screams, such as those on “Cry Out” and “Judgment Day”. Overall, this is just good, quality, classic, heavy metal.

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