Crimson Chrysalis

Grammy Nominated Artist Crimson Chrysalis

Two years after the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, CRIMSON PASSION CRY, South African Symphonic rock band Crimson Chrysalis returns with ENRAPTURED. Featuring eleven original tracks and a CC-rendition of the 80’s Alice Cooper hit “Poison”, ENRAPTURED may very well be the defining moment in Crimson Chrysalis’musical career.















  

Being the first ever band to produce a Symphonic rock album in South Africa, Crimson Chrysalis managed to create sort of a hybrid between the drama􏰀tic, passionate songs from musical theatre shows like Les Miserables, and epic soundtrack music - executed by a premier league rock band. This is music without boundaries –strong enough to appeal to Symphonic metal fans, but accessible for classic rock listeners as well.

The same creators that were responsible for CRIMSON PASSION CRY created ENRAPTURED. Rene van den Berg still fronts the band and composes the music, while Esther Slabbert again wrote all the lyrics of the songs. The production is enormous, but brilliantly engineered to a rich, velvet tapestry of sound. Enlarging their live string ensemble, and adding live brass, the wall-of-sound music Crimson Chrysalis is known for, is even bigger this time around. “The epic delicacy that front woman Rene van den Berg has delivered, is musically so palatable that it leaves you with a desire to hear more”(Global Metal Apocalypse).

ENRAPTURED features two duets with International artists - one with Andrea Casanova of Spanish gothic metal band, Rainier (“Elegy”), and the other with Jessica Mercy of US Symphonic metal band, Anaria (“Burning Fire with Fire”). The musicianship in “Elegy”is outstanding, and the call-to-answer “duel”between cello and electric guitar in the instrumental serves as testimony to the high level of skill South African musicians possess. The heartbeat of Africa is stunningly embodied in “Burning Fire with Fire”by the use of five live African drummers, similar to the African footprint they left in “Blood Diamond”on their debut album, CRIMSON PASSION CRY. “The Raven”is another typical example of how Crimson Chrysalis enmeshed the dualism of Africa with symphonic rock. The song hopes to give you a small taste of the harshness and beauty of the reality of Africa.

As with CRIMSON PASION CRY, the whole album was recorded and mixed in South Africa. This time around, however, the album was mastered by Grammy winner Ted Jensen of Sterling Sound in New York.

Band line up:

Rene van den Berg (vocals), Elben Schutte (keyboards), Mauritz Lotz (guitar), Cobus Schutte (guitar), Denny Lalouette (bass), and Vinnie Henrico (drums)