Cruce Signatus - Cruce Signatus

Angry Metal Guy 70

David Frazer is my kind of solo artist, and I mean that literally. From his social media and my occasional conversations with the Pillaging Villagers mastermind, it’s clear that his musical tastes overlap significantly with mine. Beyond that, though, he’s also all about metal. Many metal musicians cite their affinity for the genre as a mere slice of their musical diet, but Frazer seems to subsist almost entirely on metal, a regimen I relate to entirely. I raised an eyebrow, then, back when he outlined his next project for me: A multi-part conceptual work, one that he hesitated to categorize, but one that is more symphonic and electronic than purely metallic. Upon hearing the resulting product, I realized that I should always have anticipated Cruce Signatus’ eponymous first culmination would land home with me. That just leaves one question: What the fuck is Cruce Signatus, anyway?

It’s difficult and pointless to pigeonhole Cruce Signatus into any one genre, but stylistically I find that it fits snugly between the electronic baroque-metal hybrid of Keygen Church and the metallic synthwave of GosT. More theatrical than the former and less dance-y (and less batshit bonkers crazy) than the latter, Cruce Signatus finds its niche as both a cinematic soundtrack to a larger framework, and as a standalone, fulfilling metal record. It doesn’t earn its soundtrack qualifier just because it invokes moody electronic scores ranging from The Terminator to Stranger Things, but also because its thematic consistency implies connectedness even when themes are not being reprised and repurposed. As a contiguous experience, Cruce Signatus’ thirty-two-minute length feels perfect for its scope and lays a compelling groundwork for the three records due to follow in delivering a full two-hour composition.

That laying of groundwork, ironically, is also my main sticking point with Cruce Signatus. As an introduction to a larger work, it feels a bit limited in scope; its intensity is dynamic, but its tempo and tone are largely static. This inhibits some of the implied drama of the conceptual story, drama which was dynamic and unpredictable in certain Pillaging Villagers tracks, especially “The Count.” To Fraser’s credit, however, the lack of variety miraculously does not result in monotony. This record is consistently engaging and addictive, with a dozen or so moments from across its runtime worming through my head at any given time I’m not listening to it. The four movements comprising the album feature self-contained hooks and riffs which compound into clever payoffs as the tracks progress, with my favorite instance being the amped-up finale of “Lus Gladii.”

Cathartic songwriting is to be expected given Fraser’s pedigree, but his skills at electronic music production were unproven until now. Thankfully, the soundscape of Cruce Signatus feels fully realized and explosively vibrant; what it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in flooding waves of colorful, gripping bombast. Even so, greater bass emphasis and better balance in general would have benefited the experience. This isn’t an ear-exploding affair on the level of GosT, mind you, but much of the record does feel piercingly treble-heavy. The exception to this rule is the climactic “Bellum Dei,” which eases off the high end and breathes life into Cruce Signatus’ heaviest elements. I’m invested in this project for the long haul, but I hope this track implies an allowance for later acts to feature a more even-handed mix.

Minor gripes with songwriting and production aside, I find myself once again enthralled with David Fraser’s vision. This project is deserving of significant attention; not just because of its inherent quality and inspired execution, but because its animated component, planned to accompany the entirety of the inevitable two-hour experience, is ambitious on a level I have not encountered previously in DIY music. Fraser proudly sports a “No AI” hashtag on the Cruce Signatus Bandcamp page, which serves to emphasize how vital a project like this is at this very moment. As the later acts of this epic are unveiled, I expect they will retroactively enrich this inaugural act further. As it stands today, my feelings towards Cruce Signatus are identical to my regard for this year’s Hand of Kalliach record: A nearly brilliant effort, and one that I feel confident will inevitably dovetail into a future masterpiece.



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: n/a | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Self Release
Websites: crucesignatus.bandcamp.com/album/cruce-signatus | facebook.com/crucesignatusband
Releases Worldwide: June 6th, 2024

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