DON'T let the cover of Kristal's new album n.t virus fool you. Looking quite like a bunch of amateur schoolboys, it gives the wrong impression of the high quality of music inside the cover.
Over a couple of years, the young men, Mohd Razlan Mohamed Yusof @ Lan (vocal), Muhamad Rody Baharudin @ Rody (guitar), Izaludin Ibrahim (bass) and Johari Yusof (drums), sound so much matured than their previous albums, Pak Belalang and Semut & Lebah, and this is reflected in their latest effort.
The album title was taken from the track Virus, composed by Joe Wings, a metaphor to describe their readiness to fight against all bad influences and viruses in the music scene.
A lot of energy was channelled into most of the songs that will keep rockers moving, especially the rawness of Kasut Terbang, with superb lyrics from Loloq.
Highly-charged emotions seem to be flowing in their sentimental numbers Saat Itu and Suatu Kenangan - two great examples of the development of their talents, although it was the catchy Hembusan Meniup, Hei Bambino and Bohemia La Rambla that got the head-bangers really charged up.
A noticeable evolution in their style of playing can be found in Cita-Citaku, with some of the most impressive guitar solos in the whole album that is sure to please rock fans.
The most impressive song in the whole album must be the remake of Keindahan Pantai, originally sung by the late M. Shariff and The Zurah's, where Kristal has managed to retain its feel and styling while improving on the music arrangement to suit their rock image perfectly.
It has been argued that they sounded too much like Wings, especially in the intro to the upbeat song Joena, which is no surprise since the album was produced by Joe Wings, with Awie as the executive producer.
Although this may not be a bad thing, it keeps Kristal from carving their own mark in the industry. - NST 13/06/2004
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