A Star-Crossed Wasteland
Encyclopedia
Critical reception
The album received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release. The NewReview gave the album a 4 out of 5 and stated "The band have put out a monumental work that is utterly and completely enjoyable that sets the standard— and boy is it high." The Boston HeraldBoston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
gave it a B+, calling Maria Brinks vocals "a roaring, emotional hellon and much more than just a pretty face." MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
calls the record "powerful" and contains some of the "heaviest stuff they've ever recorded." The album received 4.5 stars from Alternative Press which states that the band have created a "modern metal masterpiece." Chad Bower of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
rated the album 3.5 of 5 stars, and says of Brinks vocals, "The transitions between singing and screaming seem smoother this time around."
Lenny Vowels of the 411mania.com gave A Star-Crossed Wasteland 7 out of 10 stars which is "good" according to the 411 Legend and summarized his review by saying "As a whole, with this album, it seemed like In This Moment finally took the necessary steps towards becoming a bigger band in America. The album sounds quite a bit more mainstream than their previous two releases. It's not so much bad as it is hit-and-miss. Thankfully, it's mostly a hit. While I certainly can't say I'm a fan of everything on this album, the positive sides bring the goods. Maybe this will be the album that finally gets In This Moment the amount of exposure they need in the U.S." Phil Freeman of AllMusic compared the album's sound to the works of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
gothic metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
band Lacuna Coil
Lacuna Coil
Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Formed in 1994, the group has had two name changes since being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal and was inspired by the combination of gothic imagery and music...
and stated "Established fans of In This Moment will love A Star-Crossed Wasteland, but as their best album, it's also a perfect introduction for a newcomer."
Personnel
In This Moment- Maria Brink – lead vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Chris Howorth – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals, bassBassBass or Basses may refer to:*Bass , describing low-frequency sound*Bass , various freshwater and saltwater species*Bass Brewery, a British brewery-Music:*Bass clef, the musical clef used for lower-sounding instruments and voices... - Blake Bunzel – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- Jeff Fabb – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionsPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Guest musicians
- Gus G – guitar on "The Road"
- Adrian Patrick – additional vocals on "The Promise"
Production
- Kevin ChurkoKevin ChurkoKevin Gregory Churko , is a Canadian musician, sound engineer, songwriter and record producer best known for his work with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Modern Science, Five Finger Death Punch, Hinder, In This Moment and Shania Twain.-Awards:He has been nominated for five Juno Awards and has won...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineering, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, pro-tools - Kane Churko – pro-tools, engineering
- Anthony Clarkson – artwork, layout
- Mike Gitter – A&RA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
- Steve Joh – A&R
- Andy Hartmark – photography
- Kemnay Churko – photography
- Tara Tatangeio – make-up, hair stylist
- Sheri Bodel – clothing design
- Rob "Blasko" Nicholson – management
Chart Positions and Sales
A Star-Crossed Wasteland debuted at #40 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling approximately 10,500 copies in its first week of release. It also debuted at #1 on the Billboard Independent albums chart and #8 on the Top Hard Rock albums chart. This is the highest chart position to date by the band beating its predecessor
The Dream (In This Moment album)
-Personnel:In This Moment*Vocals, Piano - Maria Brink*Guitar - Chris Howorth*Bass - Jesse Landry*Guitar - Blake Bunzel*Drums - Jeff FabbAdditional Personnel*Album Recorded At: The Wolves Den - Las Vegas...
which debuted at #70 on the Billboard 200 with 8,000 copies sold in 2008.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
40 |
| Top Hard Rock Albums | 4 |
| Top Independent Albums | 1 |
| Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums | 8 |
| Top Rock Albums | 13 |
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| July 9, 2010 | Europe |
| July 12, 2010 | United Kingdom |
| July 13, 2010 | United States |
| August 25, 2010 | Japan |