In the last year, Southern Cross was really discreet when it came to how their new album was advancing. Despite a few announcements here and there, saying that the Quebec-based band didn’t make much noise would be an understatement. Call this the calm before the storm, or any other metaphor evoking getting smashed in the face with a hammer, the fact is that the band is coming back with an album that couldn’t be described by any other expression than : “more” . Southern Cross in 2009? It’s more! More professional, more mature, more original and definitely more refined. The margin between Rise Above and the new album, Down Below, as been crossed with a giant leap. The album’s title really illustrates the contrast between the two efforts. Even when giving the first one all the credit it deserves, let’s not forget that it was the subject of criticism that was sometimes good, but sometimes not so good. During the writing process for Down Below, Southern Cross either did their homework to improve the aspects that were criticised by fans and critics alike, or they simply decided to make their detractors bite the dust... It’s one or the other. The new album is an excellent example of the result that a band can achieve when everyone involved works towards a common goal. Supported by a maturity acquired during the journey that was everything surrounding their first album, the members of Southern Cross have made their compositions profit from their playing. Indeed, the cohesiveness between every instruments on each song is rock solid and the music is just as strong! Down Below starts with “Weak and Sober”, a song that represents very well the mood of the album without yet revealing all of its subtleties. We’re noticing a radical change in style for Southern Cross, who suddenly comes closer to the progressive metal label with strong dark accents. Evergrey could quickly be cited as a potential influence for the music on Down Below, but there is much more to be discovered. In fact, listing everything that goes through our mind from a musical standpoint while associating a name to compare it to would be walking on very thin ice but let’s try to cite some examples, failing to simply say that the band only resembles itself. Somewhere in the keyboards, we could believe that there are a few little touches of Ayreon hidden amongst the elaborated moods reminiscent of the psychedelic years. Add to that a fine touch of hard rock hooks with well placed piano accents and you have a good idea of what Jean-Benoit Lemire’s keyboard playing can be. As far as the guitars are concerned, the work is nuanced and full of subtleties that wonderfully blend with the music. In turn, the rhythm section of drums and bass glues everything together very well. What’s left? Well, we really need to talk about it! The one who had to deal with venom from many critics for the band’s first effort, David Lizotte is lending his voice once again to the music of Southern Cross. This time though, it will be a whole other song that people will sing after hearing him. Staying in a range that he masters really well, David has a lot of credibility this time and transmits wonderfully all of the dark and heavy emotions of Down Below’s lyrics. Props should be given for the way he expresses melancholy without falling into vocal melodrama. Even more apparent given the clarity with which he sings, let’s not forget that David Lizotte is one of those French speaking singers whose pronunciation of the English language is very precise. At this point, we need to understand that Down Below is a very heavy album. Dark in atmosphere and very touching from a lyrical point of view, it would have been hard to opt for another style than the moderate tempo used by Southern Cross. Throughout the nine tracks on the album, the rhythm doesn’t change all that much while surprisingly staying very far away from being repetitive. There are a few faster passages but the album’s main idea remains the heaviness of the riffs. This density is especially utilized through the impeccable production of the album. Indeed, on this one, Southern Cross profits from a sound that is large, with lots of presence and near crystal-clarity. The variety of the melodies, the different rhythmic approaches and the exchanges between the vocals and the keyboards are all signs of the great inspiration that motivated the writing of Down Below. The compositions are long, elaborate and, for the most part, well crafted. The three first tracks, “Weak And Sober”, “Open Scars”, and “Thirteen” are three excellent songs that impose themselves firmly as hymns to deep melancholy. However, despite a very promising verse structure, we can feel al little tiredness in the chorus of “As Goodwill Falls”. Perhaps a little too simple when compared to the other arrangements in the song, the chorus breaks the momentum of the rest of the track which has its share of brighter moments nonetheless. However, it’s probably on the album’s fastest song that the band seems to lose itself the most. With it’s speed and alternating growling and singing vocals, “Undisclosed” offers a flavour that is more or less adapted to the rest of the album. A little variety never hurts, but in the end the main idea must be respected, as is the case in “Something Vile” that could pass for a version of “Undisclosed” had it been done the right way. It is also with the succession of those two songs that we understand that the strength of Southern Cross resides in the choice of moods and catchy melodic choruses and solos rather than in raw aggressiveness. All in all, with Down Below, Southern Cross shows an undeniable originality by venturing on a path that is their own. At the intersection of the avenues of Circle II Circle, Savatage and Evergrey, there is now this little gloomy path that points to the south, Southern Cross’ own. This second album strays away from all the actual currents of metal all the while having a modern touch that is very relevant. Moreover, given the difference from the first one, we can even talk about a “discovery” because Southern Cross will be a pleasant one for many people. - Fred Laroche Traduction from: http://www.capitaledumetal.com/cdm/site/critiques/review_southern_cross_down_below