CROM To Release 'Of Love And Death' This Week

"Of Love And Death", the second full-length album from CROM the German "epic metal" band led by former DARK FORTRESS guitarist Walter "Crom" Grosse will be released on November 25 via Pure Steel Records. The follow-up to 2008's "Vengeance" was produced by Grosse himself, and engineered by Victor Bullok (a.k.a. V. Santura) at the latter's At The Crypt Studios.

The recording lineup for "Of Love And Death" consisted of Crom on vocals, guitar, bass and choirs, Seraph (DARK FORTRESS, NONEUCLID, REVAMP) on drums and V. Santura (DARK FORTRESS, TRIPTYKON, ex-CELTIC FROST) on additional guitar and choirs. Artwork for the album was once again created by the noted artist Kris Verwimp, an old friend and collaborator of Grosse's. Longtime CROM fans may recognize two tracks on the new album; "My Destiny" first appeared on the now much-sought-after 2004 demo, while "The Fallen Beauty" featured on the EP of the same name, but both have been re-recorded for "Of Love And Death".

"Of Love And Death" track listing:

01. Reason to Live
02. Lifetime - The Fallen Beauty Part II
03. Just One Blink
04. The Oceans Wide
05. My Song For All The Broken Hearts
06. My Destiny
07. This Dying World
08. Eternal Dreaming
09. The Fallen Beauty 2010 (bonus track)

While CROM's debut full length album "Vengeance" dealt with love and loss in the heroic settings of legendary kings and warriors, "Of Love And Death" still features Grosse's soaring vocals and epic melodies, but this time the same themes are dealt with on a much more personal and intimate level.

"'Vengeance' was the album that really defined CROM's sound in terms of melody and vocals," explained Grosse, "and I was always drawn to the subject of the doomed hero fighting battles he knows he can't win. The music side of both albums was, in fact, recorded at the same time, but the songs on 'Vengeance' were chosen to reflect the warrior's point of view, while the ones that I wanted to include on 'Of Love And Death' were the ones that we could all relate to on a day to day level.

"I appreciate that fans see CROM as synonymous with the fantasy warrior aspects, and that 'Of Love And Death' might come as a bit of a surprise. Maybe we should look at is as the 'calm before the storm' of the next album."

CROM's deal with Pure Steel Records is for two albums, and work has already begun on the follow-up to "Of Love And Death", and if the title "When Northmen Die" is anything to go by, it promises a return to the pagan/viking themes that Grosse's fans are more familiar with, as well as a heavier sound.