Cruce Signatus – II Review

By Eldritch Elitist

One of the scant morsels of criticism I offered to Pillaging Villagers’ self-titled 2022 opus was not explicitly aimed at the record itself, but rather at my perceived longevity of the project. David Frazer’s first solo outing, while a blast to spin to this day, feels like something best suited as a one-off excursion. For this reason, I approached his follow-up project, the instrumental metal/synthwave/electronic mashup that is Cruce Signatus, with a grain of skepticism. From day one, Frazer planned Cruce Signatus as a four-act experience, and for as much as I enjoyed its first volume, it again engendered a nagging sense of doubt as to its shelf life. By its end, the self-titled debut painstakingly explores seemingly every corner of its hyper-specific vision of cinematic metallo-electro-neo-baroque-wave. For this project to truly grow, Frazer would need to up the stakes through an expanded scope, elevated drama, and a broadened emotional palette. Less than a year on from its predecessor, II has done precisely that.

My chief criticisms of Cruce Signatus were levied at its lack of variety in both tone and tempo, and II goes so hard in addressing the former that it somehow absolves itself of the latter. II does feature a handful of tempo shake-ups in its back third, but the record so often drastically departs from its predecessor’s uniformly villainous tone as to not really need them. Opener “Conversio Militiae – Viam Justorum” debuts in expected fashion, all dramatic chords and ascending arpeggios invoking a classical idea of Hell, before gracefully pivoting into a movement that I can only describe as “1990’s JRPG End Credits Theme”-core. Swaths of II feel overtly uplifting, and even when it doesn’t, tracks like “Milites Christi II – Gesta Francorum” are so whimsical and dynamic as to substantially differentiate this record from Cruce Signatus’ first act. Simultaneously, II feels so loyal to Cruce Signatus’ established identity that no one could mistake it for a project under any other name. As an expansion of that identity, II is revelatory.

II is full of unexpected victories for a project with an already impressive foundation, with one of the most surprising being just how well it succeeds as a standalone experience. Cruce Signatus’ first act split the difference between soundtrack and traditional album in its construction, and while II retains the soundtrack vibes, its individual tracks feel more self-contained. Each has a distinct identity, resulting in a tonal trajectory that gives the record a pronounced overarching structure akin to a classic “hero’s journey” narrative. While the mid-album cuts (namely “Milites Christi” I & II) feel gritty and combative, the bookends exhibit neon-drenched euphoria, with the massive closing track “Poena” making for what feels like the most gratifying possible conclusion at the end of the journey, ominous stinger foreshadowing Act III notwithstanding.

Beyond Cruce Signatus’ structural and tonal innovations, II just straight up fucking jams. While bearing plenty of introspective moments, II represents an exponentially more energetic, almost power metal-fied take on this project’s sound over its predecessor, which is honestly difficult to wrap my head around considering that it’s also unquestionably the more varied of the two records. It helps, then, that II’s high-end feels notably less shrill than that of Cruce Signatus’ debut, though parts of “Pro Emendatione Malefactorum” occasionally grate through loftily ambitious reprisal. I do find that the overall mix feels less punchy and impactful this time around, but as the electronic soundscape remains lush and engaging, minor production gripes hardly detract from the experience.

II is such an impressive evolutionary leap for Cruce Signatus that even its micro adjustments impress. That each track now naturally blends into the next, eschewing the debut’s odd fades to total silence, is nearly as strong a signal of this project’s growth as its bold leaps into unprecedented emotional territory. Moreover, II fully assures me that this project has more than enough juice to play out its full, four-act structure. If Frazer’s ambitions are this high halfway through, I’m ecstatic to hear where this project goes by its end. Just don’t wait until then to jump in, because II stands shoulder to shoulder with the best records of the burgeoning synth metal scene on its own merits. Oh, and I’ll retract what I said three years ago: I’ll take another three Pillaging Villagers records, please.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Self Release
Websites: crucesignatus.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/crucesignatusband
Releases Worldwide: April 4th, 2025

#2025 #40 #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #CruceSignatus #II #InstrumentalMetal #PillagingVillagers #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #SynthMetal #Synthwave

Cruce Signatus – Cruce Signatus Review

By Eldritch Elitist

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

#2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #CruceSignatus #GosT #HandOfKalliach #InstrumentalMetal #Jun24 #KeygenChurch #PillagingVillagers #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #Synthwave