Return (Coming Home) - Upbeat, dancy, fresh and the violin is just fantastic! This was also a brilliant track live and nothing is lost in the recording!

Binary - A bit more industrial-ish than before now, again, dancable, (I'll be saying this a lot), catchy tunes and riffs, more brilliant violin in the middle, with a fantastically panned spoken vocal.

The Seraphs - One of my faveourites, lyrically. Another brilliant beat, with fab contrasting violin and sound fx. Really like the synth on this track.

Spectators - My faveourite track on the album. It feels very deep, and melancholy (if you get what i mean there). Again, lyrically, its brilliant. Slower than previous tracks on the album, the sort of track you can sit down to and be mellow. Brilliant vocal work.

Tears - Again, this was brilliant live. Another bouncy dance track, more good synth. More catchy tunes. Can't help but move to this.

Go Away - Another slower track. Very deep and sad, beutifully put together. The FX are good and not over used. More beutiful lyrics on this track "Forever seems like just an empty promise."
This track moves me.

The 4th Phase - More upbeat, nice violin work. Heavy, thudding bass keeps it moving.

Earthfall - Heavy, industrial beat and sfx. Another danceable track. Less vocals than other tracks, but it doesn't really need them.

Orphean Wing - More catchy tunes, and another great beat. I feel its a little different to the other tracks on the album, but still a brilliant peice.

Carnival - I LOVE THIS! Its kooky and twisted and brilliantly put together. The use of both male and female vocals is brilliant and the tune it has is fantastic! A short track, but effective. The lyrics are brilliant! A really enjoyable track!

Resist - A heavy, upbeat track, very home hitting with a message in the lyrics to match. Fantastic sampling, can't help but move to and be moved by this track. Another little catchy riff.

Roman - So deep and moving, its almost tearful. Digs into belief and such, and again another short track. Wonderfully put together, fantastic sound. Beutiful spoken and sung lyrics. Almost etherel.

Spiral (Don't Fall) - A good end to a brilliant album. Really closes the album well. More fantastic synth work and fx, with another good beat. Beutiful overlapped vocals.

Overall, this album is a MUST for anyone whos EVER heard of the Cruxshadows.


More then I could have Expected   November 4, 2002
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

The genre Cruxshadows is brought up in usually means stagnation for so many bands. So many bands come from what I'll call the G genre, quite a few show promise at first and then that promise fades as time goes on. Same formula each and every time. Hey, I don't want to be shocked into disgust by hearing my fave bands new album. But I like to see the bands I listen to mature. Back in 98 a friend sent me Marilyn, My Bitterness.. I was totally impressed.. clean vocals.. great sound.. great lyrics. I wanted more.. I became a Cruxshadows fanatic. And they followed it up with Until the Voices Fade which was great.. they followed that up with Mystery.. which was superb.. they followed that up with Paradox which was great as well. Each album showed them mature further and further.. but...

Wishfire hit the shelves.. I had heard Tears earlier on and it was great but Wishfire was a shock. The band grew a lot between the time Paradox was released till Wishfires release.. The word explosive comes to mind. The band sounds stronger then ever.. powerful.. moving.. they were already that but even moreso now.

The highlights

Resist/r - totally moving.. with a huge universal message that people should pay attention to.. great song. sweeping electronics that just sound explosive... Hearing this one live was totally moving..

Return (coming home) - from the violin intro with the mix of keys being played under it.. great.. lyrically great.. and just as powerful as Resist...

Go Away - this is the tear jerker..the one that can bring tears to the eyes.. a bit slower then the other songs on the disc but it's my favorite track probably. Those who adored Sympathy for tomorrow will adore this track even more probably.

Carnival - this song is just spooky with headphones.. it's not about monsters and ghosts.. not that kind of spooky.. just has a spooky sound... it's great.. it's a short song.. but it's great..nice lil duet.. and everything is layered in such a way that it's well.. spooky..

Spectators - you gotta love the chorus.. "and everyone will say i told you so.." well I'll leave the rest for a surprise..great song..

This album is just great all the way through..everything people loved about the band on the other releases will find comfort knowing that feel is still there it's just a bit more intense now. The band has really matured and they sound better then ever. And the new material sounds awesome live..

Most explosive song on the disc would have to be tears though.. that song coming through my subs in the car just makes things shake...


Not Cut and Paste Goth   February 3, 2004
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is not your average gothic darkwave band! It is powerful and passionate, with complex lyrics and themes. Other fans compare Rogue's voice to other vintage bands, but I disagree--something about it is completely different, more otherworldly and moving.

As an album, Wishfire is very strong and energetic. All the tracks (in no particular order) are very different from each other musically, but carry the same level of energy throughout. "Tears", especially, is easily the strongest track and one of my absolute favorites of the band--it has a great dance beat with amazingly different layers of sound that practically leaves your skin tingling after you hear it. I can't even describe what its like hearing this song live.

"Return" is great! After all the remixes I've heard, I just love to come back to the original.

"Binary" is another strong track, with a great chorus and violin, and haunting female spoken parts... its man struggling back and forth w/his own dual nature and with the voice of fate.

Listening to "Seraphs" I can easily envision the fiery angels he describes--this is one of Rogue's gifts, to bring mythology to a completely different level. Very powerful.

Some might go as far to say that "Spectators" is out of place on the album. It was a little surprising, because its very different from the other tracks. But I think this is intentional. It adds depth of emotion and sound to the album as a whole. Its a slower, let-it-wash-over-you, kind of song of personal strength and convictions.

"Go Away" is heartbreakingly beautiful. "The 4th Phase" is one I keep forgetting is here, but I love to rediscover--carried by violin, very unique and wonderful lyrics. "Earthfall" is otherworldly, dominated by the music and not vocals. "Roman" is short, but very moving, spoken musings on death and beyond.

Amazon lists the 10th track as "Orphan Wing"--this is incorrect, it is "Orphean Wing", referring to the Greek figure Orpheus. I love Rogue's voice in this one... After the other powerful tracks, this is nice--good beat, yet almost soothing.

"Carnival" is very different w/the overlapping male and female vocals that adds a touch of intensity. "Resist/R" has very nice synths...w/sounds samples of M.L. King to get its message home. "Spiral" is a great conclusion..."lightens" the tone of the whole album and leaves you feeling content and transformed.

All in all, this album is a big jump in growth for the Cruxshadows, they are better than ever. It's the next continuation in the Angel cycle--true fans will not be disappointed. There was less mythology, I thought, in this album than others, but it is there nevertheless. See this band live!!! It will be the best show you've ever seen, guaranteed.


Dark, Techno and Intense   September 3, 2002
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This CD includes 14 tracks plus an extra song as a video. I use the term "track" on purpose because #1 and #13 are really spoken pieces. Several of the tracks have spoken parts in them, usually by one of the two female members of The Cruexshadows.
The sound is very interesting combining technological and traditional instruments including a violin. The lead singer's voice is basically what you'd expect to hear in the stereotyped Goth music but his singing is very clear. The lyrics are included with the CD so you can follow along.
One thing that makes it difficult for me to review this CD is that the tracks all blend together. This makes it a bit difficult to focus on any particular song; I can't guarantee that I'd successfully divided up the songs. This is especially true for tracks 2, 3, and 4 which blend very well together.
Several of the songs are very techno, fast paced, and intense in both lyrics and music. "Return (Coming Home)", "Binary", and "Seraphs" are all very intense techno driven pieces that as said earlier blend together. "Orphean Wings" fits well with the video I'll mention in a moment.
Other tracks are softer; the violin can be clearly and cleanly heard. #5 "Spectators" which has an ethereal sound which works well because the lyrics are about feeling that those around you can?t understand since they only watch life. #7 "Go Away" is a very traditional "I've been dumped" sort of piece with a dark tone obviously. #8 "The 4th Phase" seems to be about an abusive relationship and here the soften quality only heightens the horror of the situation. "Resist" uses parts of Martin Luther King?s speeches to hammer home the idea of society verses the individual; a feeling that many people, not just Goths, can relate to. A return to the stereotypical Goth sounds is at the end of the CD in "Spiral (Don't Fall)".
"Carnival" is intense in terms of lyrics and beat but soften in regards to instruments. Its very short and both the male and female vocals mix well.
"Earthfall" is a very very repetitive song with few lyrics and yet too many to use for RPG purposes let's say.
On my iMac with OS9.2 I was able to play a video on the disc. This is a performance video of The Cruexshadows at an outdoor venue with the song "Eurydice" which is not included as one of the audio only tracks. Eurydice for those who don?t know is a legendary figure in classical Greek culture who was the wife of Orpheus a legendary poet. If you know the legend, the song makes a good deal of sense.


These guys (and girls) rock!   October 18, 2003
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Good stuff, very Cure-ish with accents of techno and Nine Inch Nails. I met the lead singer in an Apple store in Buffalo, New York and he is a very nice guy. Listened to some of their music, and had to buy the album. Check out their website ( www.cruxshadows.com ) for more info and pictures of the band.