Ravenheart Music: Reviews
G-L Reviews
LIPSHOK..'IN DARKNESS LIGHT'
(Self Release) Reviewed 27th August 2010
Americans Lipshok have spent years as a party covers band but here they present their own songs. They have obviously absorbed their classic rock repertoire which comes through on every song. This is like listening to one of those compilations dads get for father’s day. Singer Scarlett Dark has a deep voice that sounds like a mixture of Eric Burdon, Roger Chapman and Ozzy Osborne which only adds to the classic rock vibe. Rainbow, Deep Purple, Moody Blues, Uriah Heep, Magnum, Black Sabbath, Argent and the kitchen sink are thrown into the blender. I kept thinking ‘ooh, that sounds like, ummm, yes that, ummm, you know, arghhh I can’t remember’, racking my poor brain until it hurt, so I gave up and just enjoyed the music. For example, you can quite easily sing ‘Sailing’ along to ‘Find My Way Home’ and ‘Nights in White Satin’ along to ‘Dream in a Cloud’. They could slip any of the songs from this album into the next party booking and nobody would notice! If you are a lover of classic melodic rock then you will find it for sale at CD Baby, and their website is http://www.lipshok2000.com/. This is great fun to listen to, when you stop trying to place the tunes, so I’m off for another dad dance, 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil).
LUMINE CRIPTICA..'FADING INTO DARKNESS'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 26th August 2010
Argentina may be the home of Maradonna, but here we have 5 piece Argentine band 'Lumine Criptica', that serves up a good old dose of Metal, Death Metal and Gothic Metal on this 5 track 33 minute plus mini cd. Fronted by the angelic voice of Sabrina Filipic (who also takes care of the keys), coupled with the growls of Cristian Trefny, this is a good little release. 'You Will Never Rest' opens proceedings and runs in at over 8 mins, and to me has a kinda Melodic Progressive Metal feel. 'The Trace Of My Beloved' follows, and is an upbeat offering, with the melody always bubbling just below the surface and again the angelic vocals of Sabrina totally awesome. 'The Cold Outside', 'Insomnia' and 'Me' tread a similar path, and I must say that for all you growl haters out there, the growls on this release are not overdone (although more predominant on the last two tracks), while there are some good instrumental interludes in-fact. Cradle of Filth, Dark Tranquillity, Nightwish, and even Lamb of God fans, will find in 'Fading Into Darkness' a subtle combination of the most representative ingredients of each band. And best of all, the Digital Edition is available for free download, with exclusive artwork and photo galleries from their official website at http://www.luminecriptica.com. A good record and worthy of 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
INFIDIA..'REFLECTIONS'
(On Parole Productions) Reviewed 20th August 2010
Infidia are a melodic metal outfit from Slovenia who were founded way back in late 2004. After a 2007 EP they have now, released this, their debut album. Their music is Lunatica/Visions of Atlantis esque galloping melodic power metal, subtly symphonic, full of catchy choruses, driving guitars and twinkling keys. The tantalising Tina Kic has a clear pop/rock voice rather than operatics or metal histrionics, and they use band harmonies instead of a choir. Together with the excellent production, and brevity of double peddling (or it’s well buried), all these ingredients give the whole album a fresh, vibrant, up-tempo but powerful pop metal sound. All the track are rather good, but highlights include ‘Vision’, ‘Salvation’, ‘Thirteen’ (video on Female Voices Blog), ‘The Dreamer and the Nightmare’, the touching ‘One Last Memory’ simply narrated by guitarist Uros Erste with an accompaniment of cute Katja Sevsek’s tinkling piano, and the power ballad ‘Like No Tomorrow’. ‘Viva Forever’ is a Spice Girls cover of all things, but it fits seamlessly into the album, in fact I didn’t realise what it was until read the booklet. I checked the original (the things I suffer for the sake of Ravenheart!) and it is totally unrecognisable, they could have changed a few words and claimed it was theirs! On reflection, I really like this album, it’s just my cup of tea, and if you also love melodic and symphonic power metal, then you can grab a copy at their Myspace is www.myspace.com/28026209, a most welcome 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
GHOSTHILL..'EMBRACE OF A CHASM'
(Fono) Reviewed 13th August 2010
Ghosthill are a hugely talented young band from Kaliningrad in western Russia. Their style is super speedy, mega mighty, symphonic power metal, a mix of Holyhell, DragonForce and Fairyland. Guitarists Val and Nick thrashing like a Tasmanian devil, drummer John peddling faster than Chris Hoy and Ilia’s keyboard solos sounding like Rick Wakeman at 78rpm (ask your granddad). However they vary the tempo and dynamics enormously, so you get a burst of speed and then they ease on down, which gives the rather lovely Mira space to operate. She has an outstanding and very powerful voice packed with attitude, for some strange reason she reminds me of a young Shirley Bassey, Mira would certainly make mincemeat out of a James Bond theme. I sent Ravenheart Dave a speedy metal track to listen to, he said there was too much going on, which made me realise just how much I’ve got used to the speed, 10 minutes worth of music rammed into 3 minutes, it can be very disorientating for the uninitiated. Production by the appropriately named Val Metal is excellent, the sound rumbling rather than pounding, which, with the variations in pace, avoids the drums getting tiresome, a major problem with some power metal. Standouts include ‘The Last Dimension’ (live video on Female Voices Blog), the title track ‘Embrace of a Chasm’, the brace of slightly more mid tempo numbers ‘The Mist’ and ‘Silent Night’, and the closing epic ‘Vigilant Forest’. This will fill the chasm in any power metal fans collection, and you can embrace a copy at their Myspace www.myspace.com/ghosthillmetal , but hurry, they’re going fast, 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
HOLINESS..'BENEATH THE SURFACE'
(Self Release) Reviewed 5th August 2010
Formed in 2008, these Brazilians have uncovered a rare diamond in stunning singer Stéfanie Schirmbeck. Her powerful voice is the fulcrum of this debut album, packed with emotionally charged songs. Their sound is quite unique, heavier and more muscular than Evanescence, but with Stéfanie’s melodic vocal lines, passionate delivery and emotive lyrics. Their intention is not to make you headbang, but to move you emotionally. The producer is Aquiles Priester, the drummer of two of Brazil’s top bands, Angra and Hangar, and their keys player, Fabio Laguna, supplies the keyboards. It is mixed by top producer Tommy Newton who has twiddled the knobs for bands like Helloween, Elegy, Kamelot, Ten and UFO. It’s not surprising it sounds so good. ‘The Truth’, ‘What I Want’, ‘Take Me Closer’ and ‘Breath in Time’ are mighty and massive. ‘Higher’, ‘Waiting for a Change’, ‘Mine’ and ‘Into the Light’ (the video is on the Female Voices blog) are power ballads with the emphasis on power. The final cut is a version of Alanis Morissette’s ‘Uninvited’ which they turn into a towering monster of a song. With the right exposure this band has all the tools to break through. I came up with the slogan ‘The victory of melody over muscle’ for the Female Voices Blog, well, here you have melody and muscle in perfect unison. It can be ordered form their Myspace www.myspace.com/officialholiness, but it is crying out for international distribution, a very impressive 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil).
HB..'FROZEN INSIDE'
(Bullroser Records) Reviewed 5th August 2010
Like fellow Finns Indica, HB have released several albums in their native language for the domestic market, but only one in English that is intended for international consumption. This is in fact the English language version of their album ‘Enne’, which was very successful in their homeland. They are a proudly Christian band, hence their name and keyboarder Antti Niskala’s spiritual lyrics. Their music, not surprisingly, owes a nod to those other famous Finns, Nightwish, but it leans more towards Lunatica, with a healthy helping of Within Temptation. Johanna Aaltonen has a lovely voice, not too far away from Andrea Dätwyler. Unusually it starts with an a cappella intro before the awesome ‘God Has All Glory’ bursts through the speakers, packed with choir and orchestra. ‘Is It Time’ is a stomping, stirring rocker, the video is on the Female Voices Blog. ‘Be Aware’ has delightful intricate instrumentation, a soaring chorus and a ripping guitar solo by Janne Karhunen. ‘Holy Secret’ is a gorgeous piano power ballad with plaintive cello, followed by the epic and melodic title track ‘Frozen Inside’ that builds in power. More wonderful piano introduces the emotive lighter waving swayer ‘Years Go By’, before they pick it up again with the anthemic ‘Ambition’. ‘Way’ is a gentle song that features just Johanna, Fender Rhodes, choir and strings, with a narrated spoken sermon passage, and the final tune, ‘The Lovesong’, is a rousing hymn. Top quality production, song writing and musicianship make this a perfect buy for all fans of gothic symphonic metal and melodic rock. It is available from a wide range of stockist, a list of some of them is on their Myspace www.myspace.com/hbmetal, a highly recommended 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
LIV KRISTINE..'SKINTIGHT'
(Napalm Records) Reviewed 4th August 2010
The remarkable voice of Leaves' Eyes hits us with her third album, and she again looks set to captivate the listener with a record full of finely crafted pop/rock music. I will not hide the fact that I am an out & out fan of Leaves' Eyes, and of course Liv Kristine too. The title track (a downloadable single) gets the record underway, and is a very catchy little number that screams mainstream radio airplay. 'Twofold' slows things down a little, with Liv's voice sending shivers down my spine, while 'Train To Somewhere' has an acoustic intro, before the rest of the band kicks in offering another upbeat and catchy pop/rock number. 'Love In Grey', 'Lifeline' and 'Wonders' are slow acoustic tracks, and are so enthralling to listen to. 'Emotional Catastrophies' and 'Boys at the Window' ups the ante a touch, and are so infectious that you would need a dose of medication to avoid catching anything :) The awesome 'Versified Harmonies' and the beautiful 'The Rarest Flower' round things off. Most the songs here run at around the three to four minute mark, and the whole package was produced by hubby Alexander Krull (who else) at Mastersound Studio. As always he has done a grand job. Super stuff! 9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
IANASONIC..'CONTROVERSY'
(Self Release) Reviewed 4th August 2010
This Portuguese combo was created four years ago by producer/writer Marco Jung, vocalist/writer Diana Freire, and guitarist/writer João Júlio. Their music is almost impossible to pigeonhole, I suppose a mixture of Evanescence, The Cranberries and a touch of Love and Rockets is closest comparison I can come up with, but this tells only half the story. They add all sorts of electronica and surprising ingredients into the mix, making each song quite an adventure. Songs like ‘Come In, Sit Down, and Relax’, ‘Five Days’, and ‘Pink Balloon’ are excellent up-tempo alt rockers. ‘My Little Bit of Sunshine’ is a groovy shuffle with Marc Bolan ‘ish’ riff, and ‘Bitter Flavour’ an equally catchy pop rock song. ‘Unfaithful Beliefs’ and ‘Love (Can’t Live Without It)’ are more experimental, proggish and atmospheric, while ‘Through and Through’ even sounds like Prince! The last track ‘Too Perfect’ shows their jazzy side with a touch of avante garde, together with the hidden bonus track, the trombone laced bossa nova ‘Too Perfect’, it’s like being in Parisian jazz club in the 60’s, you half expect Simon Templar to walk in! Production is excellent, and the whole album is a delightful and thoroughly fascinating listen. A song like the infectious ‘My Little Bit of Sunshine’ could easily become a hit, especially with that hook; it would certainly go down well on the radio. This is one controversy you won’t want to avoid, so sneak out the backdoor and head to their Myspace, www.myspace.com/ianasonic where you can purloin a copy before the press finds out. 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
IN THIS MOMENT..'A STAR-CROSSED WASTELAND'
(Century Media) Reviewed 12th July 2010
In This Moment is an aggressive Melodic Metal Band from the USA, and so happen to be fronted by the hottest chick in metal, and that is official. Indeed, this hot chick Maria Brink, sure knows how to let loose with her vocal chords. Time to hide behind the sofa me thinks :) Seriously, this lass has one helluva set of pipes and this their third album, is another awesome effort from this band, whose career I have been following with interest since their conception. The opening salvo of 'Gun Show' and 'Just Drive' will have you sitting up and taking notice, no doubt about that! 'The Promise' features guest vocals from Adrian Patrick and to my ears, has hit single written all over it, also proving that our lovely Maria can sing too. 'Standing Alone' showcases Maria's diverse vocal style very well, and although this diverse style may not be to everybody's liking, I myself just love it. The title track is a very melodic and slower number with great piano, and it is a track like this that proves to me how good this band really is! Lovely stuff and a great song too - one of my fave tracks to be honest. 'Blazin' sees the band returning to the heavier aggressive screamo style, with this melodic but heavy & bombastic music remaining with us for the remainder of the album. The record ending with the cool tear jerking ballad 'World In Flames' - lovely. In This Moment is sure building up a healthy fan base, and I am sure having a sexy blonde singer must play a part in that. But we must not judge a band on how sexy or good looking the singer is. Musically, this album is totally awesome and can only propel the band further up the league table. Great stuff and I myself love it to bitz...9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
KRYPTERIA..'MY FATAL KISS'
(Roadrunner Import) Reviewed 10th July 2010
I have had to move Heaven and Earth to get a copy of this album. It is certainly not readily available here in the UK (even on iTunes), and if you can get a copy, be prepared to mortgage your house to raise the money. But the trials and tribulations in getting this album has been worth it. This newest piece of work from Krypteria (released in 2009) offers a trend towards a more straight forward approach regards the melodies, although the guitar riffs are as melodic as usual. Gregorian choir chants and progressive instrumental parts still remain in place, and that guarantees the dramatic soundscape that is in line with the lovely Ji-In’s bright, poppy and at times almost classical vocals. Therefore, you will listen to what is overall a very good and rather pleasing package. However, this album may not be quite as heavy and technical as the equally as awesome 'Bloodangels Cry', and indeed, one will often hear a strong affinity to Pop melodies on this release - the title track, 'For You I'll Bring The Devil Down' and 'Never Say Die' as good examples of this. Kinda mainstream radio stuff with pop/metal sensibilities! You know what though, this is good stuff. Love it! 9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
TINA LIE..'FREE ENOUGH TO FALL'
(SIWU Music) Reviewed 6th July 2010
With a flavour of Country and a dash of Rock n Roll, Norwegian lass Tina Lie (pronounced Lee) has a rich, raw and distinctive voice, that will evoke the best of Americana Roots Music. And here as a consequence, we have an album for those long warm summer evenings to lie back and chill out too. With slow numbers like 'Black Swan' and 'Consumed', more upbeat offerings like the catchy 'Twilight Hour', the country sounding 'Gambling With The Stars'. And then we have two of my faves on the cd, 'Pirate's Heart' and 'Solid Ground', overall there is some good stuff on this record. Giving her a helping hand are Mauro Magellan (Georgia Satellites), Shaun Murphy (Little Feat & Bob Seger) and Grammy award winning Native American flautist Bill Miller (Eddie Vedder etc) amongst others. Tina is no newcomer to the scene either, having eight American tours under her belt. There are some poignant lyrics here, so if you fancy a change from the normal run of the mill rock and metal music, then 'Free Enough To Fall' is worth checking out, take it from me. It will be available from 26th July, but while you are waiting, check out http://www.tinalie.com/. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
INNER SHRINE..'MEDICEO'
(My Funeral Records) Reviewed 4th July 2010
If you have a friend who tends to lump metal in a one size fits all Iron Maiden ragbag, then play them this, it will blow their preconceptions/misconceptions clean out of the water. Formed by Luca Liotti (guitar, keys, music) and Leonardo Moretti (bass, lyrics) in Florence in 1995, they released the ‘Alchemical Trilogy’ between 1997 and 2004. Now they are back with an album about Florence (Firenze in Italian) during the time of the Italian Rennaisance, and the great Medici family of bankers who ruled the city. Appropriately the lyrics are in Latin sung by soprano Cecilia Boninsegni who has a gorgeous soft golden voice, backed by lovely Gregorian and classical choirs. I am really struggling to come up with comparisons for their classical music played by crunchy guitars, keys, and rhythmic drums, the closest I can get is a lighter Therion, Within Temptation at their most orchestral, and Ennio Morricone, especially his later more orchestral works. Melodic, melancholic, ethereal, spiritual, sublime, atmospheric, dramatic, and contemplative, but they vary the tempo and never get weird so it’s certainly not boring or difficult to listen to. This would be the perfect soundtrack for the next Dan Brown book to be turned into a film; I can just see Robert Langdon gallivanting around Italy accompanied by this, the up-tempo songs tailor made for the chases, the quieter tunes ideal for the more poignant moments. So just dim the lights, light some candles, pour some wine, lie back, relax and enjoy this art metal that is actually a joy to listen to. If you like symphonic metal, classical/ecclesiastical/renaissance music, and film soundtracks then the lovely digibook is available from their record company, http://www.myfuneralrecords.com , and their Myspace is www.myspace.com/innershrine . How on earth do I score this, there’s nothing to compare it to, all I know is that I really enjoyed it, so 8.75/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
INDICA.. 'A WAY AWAY'
(Nuclear Blast Records) Reviewed 1st July 2010
Good grief, these girls are hot hot hot, they make Girls Aloud look like The Andrew Sisters, but these ladies are no front for a synthetic concoction cooked up on a über producers laptop. Indeed, sitting in the producers chair is none other than Nightwish kingpin Tuomas Holopainen, a real stamp of approval and quality, and the music and lyrics are written by the band's charismatic singer Jonsu, with her band of childhood friends who are all real musicians who have done two tours with Nightwish. Plus they are not part of Simon Cowell’s stable of disposable pop sensations, instead they are signed to the mighty Nuclear Blast label, doyen of all things extreme. This has already caused some confusion, with death metal fans lumbered with reviewing their brand of mystic romantic pop/rock simply because it’s on that label, and there is a risk that in the more blinkered markets like Britain it will be ignored simply because of its association with metal. In Finland these girls have already enjoyed massive success, releasing four albums in their native tongue, now it’s time to take on the world with their English language debut. The outstanding orchestrations are by Pip Williams, a name familiar to Nightwish fans, while top playwright and poet Rory Winston has collaborated on the excellent thought provoking lyrics. The album includes some new English versions of the Finnish originals, so they have their entire back catalogue to raid, and this album is ram packed with goodies. Time for a quick run through, ‘Islands of Light’ is prime quality Nightwish ish symphonic pop-metal; ‘Precious Dark’, a superb suped up Bangles number; the dramatic folk epic ‘Children of Frost’; and ‘Lilja’s Lament’, a stunningly beautiful Celtic ballad which reminds me a lot of Katie Melua, especially with Jonsu’s vocals. ‘In Passing’ is a wonderful hook laden pop song; ‘Scissor Paper Rock’ is groovy, infectious guitar rock; the title track ‘A Way Away’, a gorgeous beguiling piano ballad; ‘As If’, a mighty middle eastern infused Nightwish esque pop-metal monster; and ‘Straight and Arrow’, a fantastic driving rocker. The last track is the utterly sublime ‘Eerie Eden’, plus you get the toe tapping Bangle ish bonus track ‘Outside In’. Nuclear Blast have thrown the kitchen sink at this, there’s 5 versions ranging from a suitcase (and I’m not joking!) to a simple CD, I steered a middle course and plumped for the limited edition digipak with DVD, rather lovely I must say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it, and boy, these ladies have got it by the truck load. The DVD, by the way, is packed with great videos and is excellent value for money, the acoustic performances highlight just how good the songs are when they are stripped of their production gloss. With top notch production and musicianship, this is a perfect pop/rock confection for fans of Nightwish, Within Temptation, The Bangles and Katie Melua. As Tuomas Holopainen says, ‘Indica has such sights to show you! You will be spellbound for a lifetime!’ I couldn’t agree more, I’m totally entranced, a magical 10/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
INTROITUS..'FANTASY'
(Bender Productions Self Release) Reviewed 9th June 2010
If you want to know what the introitus is, then ask your gynaecologist :) This album has been a labour of love for Mats and Anna Bender and their friends for ten years. We open up with the Camel Moonmadness like instrumental ‘Genesis’, full of mellow flute, tasty guitar, fiddling fiddles, and dramatic keys. The accordion laced ‘Child’ sounds like it came off 'Numbers' by Cat Stevens (one of my all time favourite albums), with a delicious Moog solo, while the spooky ‘Ghost’ starts out with a laid back Karnataka vibe, but has added oomph as it builds. We then come onto the 26 minute, 5 passage centrepiece and title track ‘Fantasy’, with Rick Wakeman, Alan Parsons, Jeff Wayne, Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, ELP and goodness knows what else thrown into the Bender’s blender, including gorgeous sax and guitar solos, plaintive cello, Greg Lake’ish guitar arpeggios, a bagpipe jig à la Ommadawn, tubular bells à la you know what, and a lighter waving sing-along, even a person with attention deficiency can’t get bored, absolutely wonderful stuff. Next up is the Horslips meets Vangelis instrumental ‘Crossroads’ that ends up getting all funky, then the lovely Celtic ballad ‘Here and Now’ with fiddle and pipes, and finally the rocked up Seekers like tune ‘Magical Moment’ which also turns rather groovy. 10 years of music ram jammed into over 70 minutes of grooves, it’s not fashionable, not trendy, not flash, not fancy, just damn good melodic prog for all you fans of Mostly Autumn, Karnataka, Pink Floyd, Camel, Alan Parsons, etc etc. Tunnel your way to their Myspace site www.myspace.com/introitus and find room for this in your collection. 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
KARMIC LINK..'ESOTERICA'
(Pervade Productions/Manitou Music) Reviewed 22nd May 2010
The second album by keys maestro Staphis Kassios and his two cohorts, Mina G from The Rain I Bleed and new recruit Evan Hensley on guitar sees the band moving away from the Delain esque gothic rock of their debut ‘No Light but Rather Darkness Visible’ towards a darker, more prog metal sound, with elements of power metal. This is a concept album about a news anchor woman who life is changed by strange phenomena that makes her face up to where modern society is heading and the power that the media and technology are imposing on the world. The best tunes have a touch of Ayreon about them, like ‘Whispers on a Breeze’ and ‘Still’. There are also some really good power metallish tracks like ‘Cold’, ‘Esoterica’, and ‘A Tattered Canvas’. The use of a drum machine encourages a touch of over indulgence with the buttons, and I am not a great fan of the shotgun snare sound. The mix is also rather guitar heavy, making the lyrics, which are so important in a concept piece, hard to hear at times. This will appeal to Dream Theatre, Ayreon and Anthropia fans, especially those like their prog metal at the more melodic end of the spectrum. Available from their Myspace www.myspace.com/karmiclink and other stores, 8/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
LOVE vs HATE..'DESTROYED' EP
(Independent Release) Reviewed 18th May 2010
Love vs. Hate is one of the true rising stars in the Dallas music scene. Vocalist powerhouse Jennifer, who writes and sings those songs, not only leads this female fronted group, she just so happens to be the one behind that hammering lead guitar as well. Three songs on this EP, and good ones they are, displaying an aggressive blend of bottom-heavy riffs, brilliant musicality and poppy & accessible melodies. To my ears second track in 'Get Over' vocally reminds me of a heavier sounding latter day Theatre of Tragedy. This band indeed has quite a pedigree and sure is worth checking out at www.myspace.com/lvhmusic. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
KANDIA..'INWARD BEAUTY, OUTWARD REFLECTION'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 3rd May 2010
In November 2007 a new rock band was born. After releasing an EP in 2008, May 2009 saw Kandia enter the recording studio. The result is this, their first full length release, that is influenced by music from A Perfect Circle, Tool, Him and Charon to name just four. Now then, if you like your music extremely melodic but powerful, with doses of metal added to the mix, this album will sure turn your insides out. Kandia in-fact hail from Portugal, and have given us one helluva album that deserves to take on the world and win! Fronted by Nya, 'Inward Beauty, Outward Reflection' sure has taken my breath away. After a brief instrumental intro, the opening salvo of 'Paranoia' and 'Into Your Hands' gives us an idea as to what to expect, as both songs fire their way out of the speakers. Awesome stuff! Hard, heavy, loud and melodic. 'Inwards' is a slower but equally heavy track...great piano intro to this excellent song. There are highlights galore on this album, which even features JP Leppaluoto from the aforementioned Gothic Finnish Band Charon, sharing lead vocals with Nya on the track 'Reflections'. This is one of the best independent releases I have heard in a long time with an amazing production to boot. Without a shadow of a doubt, this band deserves to be big outside of it's native Portugal. Check out www.myspace.com/kandiamusic to make your own minds up but to me, this is totally amazing stuff and worthy of a 9.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
INSPIRITION..'TRUTH TELLING'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 3rd May 2010
I want to try and prove that Ravenheart Music is not just a rock and metal site, and we do occasionally diversify. At times I come across music that I would call "thinking person's music", it being the type of music you can just sit back and listen to with your loved one, while drinking a glass (or three) of wine. And this release by Inspirition is one such release. Featuring the vocals of Isabel Aimee (who I had the real pleasure of speaking with on the phone last night), this is an interesting addition to my collection. The band call this type of music JAPRA - that's Jazz, Ambient, Pop, Rock, Alternative. I would even go as far as to call it Spiritual or even Sensual Rock, I think the sensual bit comes from the sexy sax of Clive Ashley that features occasionally on this recording. Anyway, JAPRA may well describe the music on offer quite nicely. Just listen to the jazzy 'Laser Sharp Knife' (featuring that sexy sounding sax) to hear what I mean. Indeed, the Jazz influences appear throughout, with Isabel Aimee's voice reminding me at times of Kate Bush or even Bjork. I can even imagine Isabel with this style of voice on the West End stage. Other faves include 'Call In Some Help', with awesome hammond organ, the emotional ballad 'Isalone', 'Smile On', the rocky and uptempo 'City', the awesome 'What's The Point In Singing' (my outright fave) and 'I Believe It's Time'. I assume that while listening to the lyrics, that most of the songs by and large are based on personal experiences. Anyway, this is the type of music that once upon a time used to frequent smoke filled bars. But although the music may still be there, the smoke filled bars have gone. This is a cool record that for the more adventurous amongst us (and I do like a bit of adventure), should try out. By the way, Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) has a copy! Check out http://www.INSPIRITION.info. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
LANEWIN..'AUTUUA'
(Liberty Records) Reviewed 28th April 2010
Lanewin are a brand new symphonic metal band from St Petersburg featuring two unique selling points, the powerful crystal clear operatic voice of the delectable Anna, and not one, but two keyboard players/composers. The results are a lighter Nightwish/Epica mixed with a heavier Rick Wakeman/Vangelis, packed with sensational synths. Anna’s voice, like the music, soothes and caresses, soars and roars, making the album a multi dimensional listening experience. Anna’s emotive, expressive lyrics add to the drama, allowing her to bring out her skills as an actress as well as a singer, turning each song into a mini theatrical musical. Highlights include the amazing ‘Gate of Lanewin’, the raging ‘Illusions of Dogma’, the Rick Wakeman’ish ‘Heartbeat’, the ‘sample and hold’ and rippling keys of the striking ‘Legend of a Savior’, the rampaging ‘Delusiveness’ (great word), and the delightful ‘Dark Love’. Autuua is when you drop a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples spread out, an analogy for the expanding effects of a single action. Lanewin are certain to make a big splash, and given the right push, their pebble can cause a tidal wave that can carry all before them. As Anna says in ‘Gate of Lanewin’, ‘Here we can forget all problems, Here we can laugh and dance! Come and join the world of music, Don’t be a fool to loose your chance!’, so ‘Run to a place where music, Fills the crazy air like oxygen’, www.myspace.com/lanewin and contact the band for a copy wrapped in it’s rather lovely artwork so that you too can ‘Taste the spirit of euphoria, Just enjoy it!’ I have also put a preview for your pleasure on our blog http://thefemalevoices.blogspot.com/ 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil Wooldridge)
HALESTORM..S/T (Bonus track version)
(Atlantic Records Import) Reviewed 21st April 2010
Halestorm are not a bunch of Scottish Pirates (cue Alestorm from Scotland), but are a band from Pennsylvania fronted by the lovely Lizzy Hale. They so happen to be a breath of fresh air in this current climate, and have hit us not like a hailstorm (!) but more like a galloping tornado. 14 tracks of melodic hard rock to sink your teeth into on this little platter. 'It's Not You' and the seductive and rather sexual 'I Get Off' get this album underway, while third track in, 'Bet U Wish U Had Me Back' is a smash hit if ever I heard one. 'Innocence' is another awesome melodic track with a chorus to die for. In-fact the verse chorus formula is apparent throughout the album, but you will not hear me complaining. 'Familiar Taste of Poison' has a slightly more gothic feel about it, a totally brilliant power ballad, and Lizzy's vocals...wow! 'I'm Not An Angel' is another ballad, with the cd in general offering a mix of slower and more uptempo tracks. There are further faves here including 'Love/Hate Heartbreak' and 'Better Sorry Than Safe', plus three rather excellent bonus tracks too, with not a filler in sight. The album should be easy to pick up being on Atlantic, so what are you waiting for. There is a Halestorm coming! 9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
The LOVECRAVE..'SOUL SALIVA'
(RepoRecords Germany) Reviewed 14th April 2010
Italian band The Lovecrave fronted by the lovely Francesca Chiara, is one of my fave bands, and here we have their latest cd, to be released on May 14th. I will not hide the fact that I am a lover of their previous release, 'The Angel and the Rain', and now along comes 'Soul Saliva'. Kicking off with the awesome and rather atmospheric 'The Other You', I like it already. The hideously catchy 'And Scream' follows, and this is a hit single if ever I heard one! Next up 'Warriors' has a slightly more electro feel, but maintains this catchy and up tempo style of music. The power ballad 'Fade' slows things down a little, but it seems now that I am in seventh heaven listening to this little platter. 'Get Outta Here' is next, and with music like this, I am staying exactly where I am! Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' follows, and this rendition of a Jacko song is pretty cool me thinks! Mixing it up a bit, the accoustic start to 'Your Fire' leads you into a false sense of security, before the track kicks off and bounces along extremely nicely, lovely stuff. 'Leon's Lullaby' is a cool and haunting tune, while the closing up tempo tunes, 'Tru Blood' and the slower and powerful 'Outsider' (with awesome guitar solo and orchestral arrangements) round things off very very nicely indeed. To summarise, this is a very good release and I would say it is even better than the awesome debut, 'The Angel and the Rain' (reviewed here in Nov 2006). I want to thank Francesca from the band and Kai at RepoRecords for the opportunity to review this release for the Ravenheart website. Anyway, check out www.myspace.com/thelovecrave and then get the album on May 14th - great stuff!! 9.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
IDEAS..'FONIX/PHOENIX'
(Nail/Hammer Records) Reviewed 8th April 2010
Ideas, Fonix / Phoenix, Nail / Hammer Records
Ideas have a long history going way back to 1994, making them one of Hungary’s earliest metal bands, but is was only with the recruitment of premier league vocalist Anita Kun in 2005 that they really took off. You get two discs, one in their native Hungarian, the other in English, hence the dual title. I wish bands with growlers would follow their example, a ‘clean’ CD and a separate ‘growly’ one, it would keep everyone happy. There’s no need to worry about cookie monsters here, this is supreme quality, Within Temptation mixed with Nightwish, symphonic gothic metal of the highest order. We kick off in grand style with ‘King of Swords’, big impressive sound, delightful piano motif, souring chorus, topped by Anita’s awesome voice. ‘Phoenix’ carries on in similar vein, this album is shaping up to be a cracker. ‘Just Remember’ keeps up the good work, ‘WOW this is good’ I find myself saying as the songs rattle along at a cracking pace. Other highlights include the immense ‘Burn On’, the inspiring ‘Never Believe’, the towering ‘You Decide’, and the final number, the superb ‘Silent Rain’, which starts as a flanged guitar ballad before taking off into a song of epic proportions, a fitting finale to a wonderful album. There is a bonus track on the Hungarian CD, the rousing anthem ‘Hazam Hazam’, a duet with Ficzek András from the band Dalriada; it’s rather interesting to hear the songs in Hungarian which is a dramatic language that gives the music a slightly different slant.The sheer quality of the song writing, production, musicianship and that voice lifts this into the premier league of symphonic gothic metallers, a must buy for fans of the genre, that is if you can get hold of a copy because it has never been released outside Hungary. As they have gone to the trouble of producing a separate English CD, this really deserves an international release. You can try the online shop at their website, http://www.ideasband.com/, the Underground Symphony online store, write to their record company, export@hammerworld.hu, or just have a scout around the net and EBay (remember it has two titles, so try both). This awesome band can also be found at their Myspace site, www.myspace.com/ideasband . You will be richly rewarded for tracking down this beauty, a really amazing discovery, 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
KELLS..'LUEURS'
(Savage Productions) Reviewed 30th March 2010
Kells come from France, and 'Lueurs' was released in 2009. What we have here is what could be classed as Melodic Gothic Metal, that would appeal to fans of Within Temptation, Evanescence and the like, sung by the way in the band's native tongue. Fronted by Virginie, Kells was formed in 2001 and this I understand is their second release. The quiet and atmospheric instrumental 'Reminiscences' gets the album underway, that then leads into 'Avant que tu...which showcases Virginie's vocal style rather nicely, this track giving us an idea as to what to expect on this cd. La sphere (feat Candice de Eths) features heavier harsh vocals, while Delivre-moi keeps the pace going - awesome techno style synths at the start of this track too. Generally, the album offers a similar mix thro the remaining tracks, heavy guitars, awesome vocals and some Within Temptation style choral backing at times. 'Le ciel', Ailleurs' and 'Sans teint' being three of my favourite tracks, appearing towards the end of the album. By and large, 'Lueurs' rocks, is melodic and rather heavy. I quite like it!...8/10 (Reviewed by Aimee)
LEAVES..'WHILE THE LIGHT CONTINUES SPINNING'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 28th March 2010
Leaves is a band from Barcelona, Spain. The band was born in 2000 under the name of The Stygian Lake. During February 2001, they recorded their first mini CD, 'XTC', which was well received by the public. Various line up changes along the way delayed things a bit, but with a name change to Leaves, and the arrival of new singer Raquel, the band worked on the idea of recording a full length album, which becomes this little opus. And what about this little gem? Well the album starts with the title track, a melodic number that instantly reminded me vocally of Anneke Van Giersbergen era The Gathering. And those influences show up throughout this record. But having said that, 'While The Light Continues Spinning' is nonetheless a very good recording with some awesome music on offer - imagine a mix of metal, gothic and trip rock!. Great musicianship throughout. No overall faves here as it is all damn fine stuff. The album comes as a digipack, while this band can be found at www.myspace.com/leavesbcn. This is worth purchasing to my ears for fans of our beloved genre. A powerful but delicate sound - good stuff! 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
HALF PAST FOUR..'RABBIT IN THE VESTIBULE'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 22nd March 2010
Half Past Four hail from Toronto and draw inspiration from King Crimson, Jethro Tull and many other progressive and art-rock bands. Their style is hard to describe and pigeon hole, with experimental arrangement, fusion composition, polyrhythmic structures and atonal melodies not uncommon in their music. To put it simply and to the man (or lady) in the street, I would call this album Jazz/Progressive Rock. This release is very different to the kind of music I would normally listen too, but I will say this, Half Past Four is good. The quirky 'Missing Sevenths' kicks things off, being followed by the awesome and very progressive 'Johnny', that showcases Kyree Vibrant's amazing vocal style. 'Southern Boogie', is almost reggae flavoured, and is one of my fave tracks, offering a great sax solo too. 'Twelve Little Words' sees Kyree belting it out, proving what a good voice she has. The instrumental 'Lullaby' kinda reminds me a little of Pink Floyd at times, and actually is one of the rockier moments on this record. Then we have the cool 'Strangest Dream', while 'Biel', running at over 8 mins almost goes operatic at the start. 'Dwayne' is another quirky one, while overall, an interesting album this certainly is, which ends with my all out favourite, ' Rabbit' - "Kill the Rabbit" sings Kyree! The type of music (with interesting lyrics as well) I would sit down and listen too with a bottle of wine. I have heard that this band is awesome live, but we possibly here in the UK will have to make do with the album for the time being, so check them out at www.www.myspace.com/halfpast4 and part with your hard earned cash. 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
KHAELYS..'DARKEST HOURS'
(Self Release) Reviewed 20th March 2010
The debut by this French formation of symphonic metallers featuring two babelicious babes, Kenza on vocals, and the most attractive tub thumper I’ve seen in ages, Lucie. I was saying in other reviews that the bands most eye-catching asset, the singer, is far more attractive than pictures of warehouses and trees, well, they should have a look at this artwork, lovely. Kenza has a semi-operatic voice similar in phrasing to Simone Simons, which is eminently appropriate for their early Epica style music, before that bands descent into death metal, without all that blast beating and screaming. They also share early Epica’s rubber band rhythm sound, instead of the normal wall of guitar noise, you get a nice bouncy boing. The rhythm guitar sound can make or break an album, and they have got it just right, in fact the mix is excellent, and without that wall of noise you can hear everything clearly, including Jonathan’s superb keys. I wish some other bands would take note of this, you do not have to make a ruddy racket to be powerful, and it’s lovely to be able to listen to all the instruments and vocals without straining. I also love Lucie’s Bonham’esque bashing crashing drums, she sounds like she’s in my living room (wish she was!). There are some growls from bassist Stephane, but they are quite deep and soft, so I don’t mind, there’s none of Mr. Jansen’s horrid howls. On a couple of numbers he also shows that he has got a descent clean voice as well. Phil’s picks include the rousing ‘Gone Away’, the pounding throbbing ‘The War’, ‘Frozen Gift’ with its impressive motif, and the groovy melodic duet, ‘Bittersweet’. The show ends with the eerie lament ‘Let Me Dream’, one of the most unusual songs I’ve heard in a long while. If, like me, you miss early pre death Epica, and you have found that their later albums have sent you screaming out the door, then you will love this. Easily available from their Myspace site, www.myspace.com/khaelys, so light up your Darkest Hours with this lovely CD. 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
CHRISTOPHER LEE..'CHARLEMAGNE'
(Cadiz Music) Reviewed 19th March 2010
We all know Sir Christopher for his work with Rhapsody, and the older ones amongst us will remember The King of Elflands Daughter, so this is the logical next step, to make a full blown rock opera with him in the starring role as Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, a part he can really sink his teeth into with his big rich baritone. By coincidence, Sir Christopher is a real descendent of the great king, making this doubly appropriate. Charlemagne was born around 742, and went on to create an empire that covered most of Western Europe. This massive project, with 100 piece orchestra, choir and metal band, is the brainchild of Marco Sabiu, who has worked with Kylie Minogue, Take That, and one of my great heroes, Ennio Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?). This is grandiose orchestral rock on a massive scale, a soundtrack to an aural film of epic proportions. It is divided up into 5 acts in two parts; the first part of each is an orated introduction, narrated by Sir Christopher’s daughter Christina, so you skip it and move onto the music if you so wish. We start with Charlemagne on his deathbed at the age of 72, an incredible age for those days, surrounded by the great and the good, as he begins to recount the story of his life. ‘King of the Franks’ tells of his rise to power, with his father, Pippin (or Pepin) the Short (his great grandfather was Pepin the Middle, honestly!), played by Phil S.P. We then move on to the wars fought on behalf of Pope Hadrian, portrayed by Mauro Conti, against ‘The Iron Crown of Lombardy’, with Christi Ebenhock as the singing storyteller. Charlemagne then meets his younger self, performed by Vincent Ricciardo, in the attempt to reconcile his actions in the long wars against the Saxons, in particular the most notorious episode in his long reign, ‘The Bloody Verdict of Verden’, when Charlemagne ordered the decapitation of 4000 Saxons who refused to give up their culture (world first headbangers?). ‘The Age of Oneness out of Diversity’ covers the growth of his empire, and finally we meet his wife in ‘Starlight’, the nubile Swabian Princess Hildegard, starring Lydia Salnikova. There is a bonus track about the wars in ‘Iberia’, but strangely we are left just as his army is about to be attacked by the treacherous Gascons, but no outcome. In case you’re wondering, the baggage train was raided, and Roland, the famous chivalric knight, was killed. Although not as metal as Rhapsody, this is mighty powerful, stirring stuff, and will appeal to all lovers of symphonic rock and metal, as well as musical theatre. A project of this scale and ambition does not come along very often, making it a rare and precious treasure, yet it is available for less than a king’s ransom from most merry merchants of musical merchandise. 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
LE MONNIER..'CYNIC SISTER'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 16th March 2010
In 2005, Jersey born singer and bassist Alex Le Monnier set out to find musicians that wanted the same as her; to play live, make records and travel. Later that year she met Essex lad Matt Keil, a pianist and guitarist whose classical training would add a new musical tilt to the bands style. The last piece of the puzzle came in the form of Terry Anderson, a drummer with an uncompromising metal style, that would add ferocity and rhythmic diversity. With the help of their local rehearsal studio, Le Monnier became the three-piece band that have released their breakthrough debut album 'Cynic Sister', that dropped onto my doormat a few days ago. Kicking off with a Middle Eastern type intro, 'Grey Symphonic', this then leads directly into the hard rockin 'Your Greed'. The slower 'Ballet' is the first ballad we come to on the album, and being a bit of a softy when it comes to ballads, I quite like it. The album picks up the pace again with 'Save Yourself', with all the 14 tracks here offering up a mid to uptempo menu of hard rock goodies, with the odd slower one for good measure. This is a pretty good album that again proves to me that there is an awful amount of good music out there that is going un tapped. A suggestion - go to www.myspace.com/lemonniermusic and then make your own minds up. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
LACHAISE..'SILENT CRIES FOR HELP'
(Micio Poldo) Reviewed 15th March 2010
I had better admit to a conflict of interests, the songs are so close musically to those I wrote for my own band, that it is very difficult to be objective. Groovy driving new wave rock inspired by REM, Stranglers, Magazine, Banshees, Blondie, The Damned, Duran Duran, and Ultravox with gothic overtones, their name coming from the famous Parisian graveyard, where the late great Jim Morrison is laid to rest, and appropriately there are some strong Doors influences here. They are in fact Italian by the way, founded by keys master and chief songwriter Suspiria. Annalisa, who passed the mike over to Xenya after the recording of the album, has a unique and very distinctive voice, somewhere around Sinead O’Connor. ‘That’s Enough’, ‘Short Life’, the lead single, and ‘A Matter of …’ are cracking commercial rock songs; ‘Maybe’, ‘Deep Silent Melancholy’ and ‘Wasteland’ are emotional and powerful; ‘Start Again’ and ‘It’s Just a Dream’ are simply wonderful. For anyone who likes darn good rock good songs, full of interesting guitars and keys, that you can dance or headbang to, depending on you penchant, then it’s available from most descent dealers, boogie along to www.myspace.com/lachaiseband to find out more. This out of body experience is well worthy of 8.75/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
LUST MURDER BOX..'THE NEW DIVINE'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 8th March 2010
Lust Murder Box hail from Austin in Texas, and this is their second album, their s/t debut sits proudly in my cd collection. Vocals are shared between Vaughn's sweet sexy vocal style and the male vocals of Nox. Offering up a tasty mix of Industrial, Metal, Gothic, New Wave, Synth Pop, Rock and Electro, you sure get your moneys worth here. Great synths too! This is a catchy little offering that would go down well in clubland in the USA and on mainland Europe too. Fave tracks of mine include the opener 'Clandestine' which obviously deals with matters of a sexual nature - done in secret perhaps (hence the title), the catchy mid paced 'Emotion To Kill', 'Nowhere With You' and 'Coercion'. This is a rather good record that can be bought from cdbaby.com, from the band's myspace site at www.myspace.com/lustmurderbox or as a download from iTunes. Pretty good stuff! 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
GLASS DELIRIUM..'THANKS TO A MONSTER'S MANY HEADS'
(Self release) Reviewed 5th March 2010
The obvious starting point for this young American band is Lacuna Coil, due to their male/female vocal combo, courtesy of the flame haired lovely, Cassi Mego, and her cohort, Vincent Nunez, allied to their gothic flavoured rock/metal. But that tells only half the story, you have to add other heads to this particular monster; an extra injection of va-va-voom: the superb keyboards of David Newell; Vincent’s willingness to rock, croon, rap, laugh, roar and scream; an occasion bursts of Tool; and some very unexpected musical moments. There are prime gothic rockers like ‘Beside Myself’ and ‘Quintessence’, heavier proggier workouts such as ‘Secret’ and ‘Transfixation’, but there are also the two bar room boogies gone metal, ‘Glass Delirium and ‘An Enigma’, the latter living up to its name by turning into a My Chemical Romance style waltz. The two outstanding songs are the equally immense ‘The Color Nine’ and the final track, ‘The Clearing’. A special mention must also go to the brief orchestral waltz ‘Ellipsis’, which sounds like it came from a Hammer Horror film! When a band has a full time keyboarder it opens up so many possibilities, both sonically and musically, and this, plus their multifarious influences from other genres, sets them apart from Lacuna Coil and the rest of the pack. This multi headed beast of a record can be unleashed from eBay if you are in the US of A, and Amazon/iTunes download venues for the rest of us, see their Myspace for more info, www.myspace.com/glassdeliriummusic. Gothic/prog rock/metal fans will love putting this monster under their beds. 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
IVANA D'ARC..'S.M.Q'
(Self Release) Reviewed 2nd March 2010
The seductive Argentinean Ivana Horbatenko moved to the States to further her musical career, where she met multi-instrumentalist Mexican, Israel Mendoza, and this is the first fruit of their union. Ivana has a genuine trained operatic voice, with a lovely Spanish inflection, and delightful touch of Edith Piaf’s Little Sparrow torch singer (ask you great grandad), or for younger readers, a bit like Ayin Aleph, but without the craziness. Before you start making up your own versions, either clean or involving whips, S.M.Q. stands for Symphony Metal Queen. After the strangely creepy intro you get 11 prime slabs of up-temp opera metal with lyrics in Spanish and English. Picks include the glorious ‘Un Blanco Cisne’, the galloping ‘El Alquimista’, the dramatic ‘Symphony Metal Queen’, the thunderous ‘Angel de la Muerte’, and the headbanging ‘Lobo’. The centrepiece is the lovely piano ballad, ‘La Rosa en el Pantano’, which sounds like a French torch song, even though it is Spanish, it conjures up images of a rain lashed Parisian blackout during the occupation, where danger lurks in every shadow, as a mysterious blonde asks you for a light in the faint limelight glow, is she your contact from the resistance? The production is crystal clear, but I would have preferred more bottom end and I found the guitars a little trebly, but a twiddle of my knobs sorted it out. If you are missing Tarja era Nightwish, then this will be sweet music to your ears, as Ivana so eloquently puts it in the wonderful ‘Bienvenido a tu Eden’, ‘Come with me! See your destiny! You will love all I’ve got for you, all my music! Come with me! See your Destiny! You will love, love this symphony!’ I couldn’t put it better, better myself, your destiny is calling, calling you to CD Baby, your wallet is opening, opening itself, and you are paying, paying the lovely lady. 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
IN VIRTUE..'DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR'
(Self Release) Reviewed 26th February 2010
I had to double check that this bunch really are American and not French, the normal purveyors of speedy symphonic power metal, especially as the main man is Trey Xavier (guitar, keys, vocals), but no, they really are from Rohnert Park, California, which is in America I believe, unless it’s moved. They are fronted by the infamous Ms. C, I don’t know what she’s infamous for, but I’d like to find out! Trey supplies the occasional Cookie Monster to contrast with Ms. C’s clear pure vocals. It double kicks off with ‘Paralyzed’, speedy, catchy refrain, with a heavier call and response mid section, followed by the anthemic ‘Fatal Eclipse’, which verges on a metal folk reel at times, before turning into a hymn. ‘Dreamwalker’ is truly wondrous with a dream of a chorus, all together now, ‘Dreamwalker, Dreamwalker, dream until I return again’, it’s firmly stuck in my head, and it allows Trey to show off his keyboard skills. The album turns a little heavier now, with ‘Foresworn’ moving into Epica territory, and ‘Heather’ which has a 70’s classic rock vibe before ending with a sweet violin quartet. The real oddity is ‘Masochism and the Pursuit of Perfection’, which starts very heavy and aggressive, and then, urm, stops, as if there was a power cut in the studio. The last track ‘Underture’ gives Trey the chance to have some knockabout fun as he reprises a selection of themes from the album in various styles - classical, jazz, metal, synth pop, dirge, Arabian, darkwave, prog, folk, funk and finally a kazoo band, I kid you not, great fun. If they can pack their next album with Dreamwalkers, ‘Dreamwalker, Dreamwalker….’, sorry, it’s securely lodged in my cranium, then they will have a smash hit on their hands. Fans of Fairyland, Kerion, and Wildpath should dreamwalk their way to www.myspace.com/10133786 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
There are stacks more reviews (from 2006 til Jan/Feb 2010) at http://www.ravenheartarchives.com. Check em out!
(Self Release) Reviewed 27th August 2010
Americans Lipshok have spent years as a party covers band but here they present their own songs. They have obviously absorbed their classic rock repertoire which comes through on every song. This is like listening to one of those compilations dads get for father’s day. Singer Scarlett Dark has a deep voice that sounds like a mixture of Eric Burdon, Roger Chapman and Ozzy Osborne which only adds to the classic rock vibe. Rainbow, Deep Purple, Moody Blues, Uriah Heep, Magnum, Black Sabbath, Argent and the kitchen sink are thrown into the blender. I kept thinking ‘ooh, that sounds like, ummm, yes that, ummm, you know, arghhh I can’t remember’, racking my poor brain until it hurt, so I gave up and just enjoyed the music. For example, you can quite easily sing ‘Sailing’ along to ‘Find My Way Home’ and ‘Nights in White Satin’ along to ‘Dream in a Cloud’. They could slip any of the songs from this album into the next party booking and nobody would notice! If you are a lover of classic melodic rock then you will find it for sale at CD Baby, and their website is http://www.lipshok2000.com/. This is great fun to listen to, when you stop trying to place the tunes, so I’m off for another dad dance, 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil).
LUMINE CRIPTICA..'FADING INTO DARKNESS'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 26th August 2010
Argentina may be the home of Maradonna, but here we have 5 piece Argentine band 'Lumine Criptica', that serves up a good old dose of Metal, Death Metal and Gothic Metal on this 5 track 33 minute plus mini cd. Fronted by the angelic voice of Sabrina Filipic (who also takes care of the keys), coupled with the growls of Cristian Trefny, this is a good little release. 'You Will Never Rest' opens proceedings and runs in at over 8 mins, and to me has a kinda Melodic Progressive Metal feel. 'The Trace Of My Beloved' follows, and is an upbeat offering, with the melody always bubbling just below the surface and again the angelic vocals of Sabrina totally awesome. 'The Cold Outside', 'Insomnia' and 'Me' tread a similar path, and I must say that for all you growl haters out there, the growls on this release are not overdone (although more predominant on the last two tracks), while there are some good instrumental interludes in-fact. Cradle of Filth, Dark Tranquillity, Nightwish, and even Lamb of God fans, will find in 'Fading Into Darkness' a subtle combination of the most representative ingredients of each band. And best of all, the Digital Edition is available for free download, with exclusive artwork and photo galleries from their official website at http://www.luminecriptica.com. A good record and worthy of 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
INFIDIA..'REFLECTIONS'
(On Parole Productions) Reviewed 20th August 2010
Infidia are a melodic metal outfit from Slovenia who were founded way back in late 2004. After a 2007 EP they have now, released this, their debut album. Their music is Lunatica/Visions of Atlantis esque galloping melodic power metal, subtly symphonic, full of catchy choruses, driving guitars and twinkling keys. The tantalising Tina Kic has a clear pop/rock voice rather than operatics or metal histrionics, and they use band harmonies instead of a choir. Together with the excellent production, and brevity of double peddling (or it’s well buried), all these ingredients give the whole album a fresh, vibrant, up-tempo but powerful pop metal sound. All the track are rather good, but highlights include ‘Vision’, ‘Salvation’, ‘Thirteen’ (video on Female Voices Blog), ‘The Dreamer and the Nightmare’, the touching ‘One Last Memory’ simply narrated by guitarist Uros Erste with an accompaniment of cute Katja Sevsek’s tinkling piano, and the power ballad ‘Like No Tomorrow’. ‘Viva Forever’ is a Spice Girls cover of all things, but it fits seamlessly into the album, in fact I didn’t realise what it was until read the booklet. I checked the original (the things I suffer for the sake of Ravenheart!) and it is totally unrecognisable, they could have changed a few words and claimed it was theirs! On reflection, I really like this album, it’s just my cup of tea, and if you also love melodic and symphonic power metal, then you can grab a copy at their Myspace is www.myspace.com/28026209, a most welcome 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
GHOSTHILL..'EMBRACE OF A CHASM'
(Fono) Reviewed 13th August 2010
Ghosthill are a hugely talented young band from Kaliningrad in western Russia. Their style is super speedy, mega mighty, symphonic power metal, a mix of Holyhell, DragonForce and Fairyland. Guitarists Val and Nick thrashing like a Tasmanian devil, drummer John peddling faster than Chris Hoy and Ilia’s keyboard solos sounding like Rick Wakeman at 78rpm (ask your granddad). However they vary the tempo and dynamics enormously, so you get a burst of speed and then they ease on down, which gives the rather lovely Mira space to operate. She has an outstanding and very powerful voice packed with attitude, for some strange reason she reminds me of a young Shirley Bassey, Mira would certainly make mincemeat out of a James Bond theme. I sent Ravenheart Dave a speedy metal track to listen to, he said there was too much going on, which made me realise just how much I’ve got used to the speed, 10 minutes worth of music rammed into 3 minutes, it can be very disorientating for the uninitiated. Production by the appropriately named Val Metal is excellent, the sound rumbling rather than pounding, which, with the variations in pace, avoids the drums getting tiresome, a major problem with some power metal. Standouts include ‘The Last Dimension’ (live video on Female Voices Blog), the title track ‘Embrace of a Chasm’, the brace of slightly more mid tempo numbers ‘The Mist’ and ‘Silent Night’, and the closing epic ‘Vigilant Forest’. This will fill the chasm in any power metal fans collection, and you can embrace a copy at their Myspace www.myspace.com/ghosthillmetal , but hurry, they’re going fast, 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
HOLINESS..'BENEATH THE SURFACE'
(Self Release) Reviewed 5th August 2010
Formed in 2008, these Brazilians have uncovered a rare diamond in stunning singer Stéfanie Schirmbeck. Her powerful voice is the fulcrum of this debut album, packed with emotionally charged songs. Their sound is quite unique, heavier and more muscular than Evanescence, but with Stéfanie’s melodic vocal lines, passionate delivery and emotive lyrics. Their intention is not to make you headbang, but to move you emotionally. The producer is Aquiles Priester, the drummer of two of Brazil’s top bands, Angra and Hangar, and their keys player, Fabio Laguna, supplies the keyboards. It is mixed by top producer Tommy Newton who has twiddled the knobs for bands like Helloween, Elegy, Kamelot, Ten and UFO. It’s not surprising it sounds so good. ‘The Truth’, ‘What I Want’, ‘Take Me Closer’ and ‘Breath in Time’ are mighty and massive. ‘Higher’, ‘Waiting for a Change’, ‘Mine’ and ‘Into the Light’ (the video is on the Female Voices blog) are power ballads with the emphasis on power. The final cut is a version of Alanis Morissette’s ‘Uninvited’ which they turn into a towering monster of a song. With the right exposure this band has all the tools to break through. I came up with the slogan ‘The victory of melody over muscle’ for the Female Voices Blog, well, here you have melody and muscle in perfect unison. It can be ordered form their Myspace www.myspace.com/officialholiness, but it is crying out for international distribution, a very impressive 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil).
HB..'FROZEN INSIDE'
(Bullroser Records) Reviewed 5th August 2010
Like fellow Finns Indica, HB have released several albums in their native language for the domestic market, but only one in English that is intended for international consumption. This is in fact the English language version of their album ‘Enne’, which was very successful in their homeland. They are a proudly Christian band, hence their name and keyboarder Antti Niskala’s spiritual lyrics. Their music, not surprisingly, owes a nod to those other famous Finns, Nightwish, but it leans more towards Lunatica, with a healthy helping of Within Temptation. Johanna Aaltonen has a lovely voice, not too far away from Andrea Dätwyler. Unusually it starts with an a cappella intro before the awesome ‘God Has All Glory’ bursts through the speakers, packed with choir and orchestra. ‘Is It Time’ is a stomping, stirring rocker, the video is on the Female Voices Blog. ‘Be Aware’ has delightful intricate instrumentation, a soaring chorus and a ripping guitar solo by Janne Karhunen. ‘Holy Secret’ is a gorgeous piano power ballad with plaintive cello, followed by the epic and melodic title track ‘Frozen Inside’ that builds in power. More wonderful piano introduces the emotive lighter waving swayer ‘Years Go By’, before they pick it up again with the anthemic ‘Ambition’. ‘Way’ is a gentle song that features just Johanna, Fender Rhodes, choir and strings, with a narrated spoken sermon passage, and the final tune, ‘The Lovesong’, is a rousing hymn. Top quality production, song writing and musicianship make this a perfect buy for all fans of gothic symphonic metal and melodic rock. It is available from a wide range of stockist, a list of some of them is on their Myspace www.myspace.com/hbmetal, a highly recommended 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
LIV KRISTINE..'SKINTIGHT'
(Napalm Records) Reviewed 4th August 2010
The remarkable voice of Leaves' Eyes hits us with her third album, and she again looks set to captivate the listener with a record full of finely crafted pop/rock music. I will not hide the fact that I am an out & out fan of Leaves' Eyes, and of course Liv Kristine too. The title track (a downloadable single) gets the record underway, and is a very catchy little number that screams mainstream radio airplay. 'Twofold' slows things down a little, with Liv's voice sending shivers down my spine, while 'Train To Somewhere' has an acoustic intro, before the rest of the band kicks in offering another upbeat and catchy pop/rock number. 'Love In Grey', 'Lifeline' and 'Wonders' are slow acoustic tracks, and are so enthralling to listen to. 'Emotional Catastrophies' and 'Boys at the Window' ups the ante a touch, and are so infectious that you would need a dose of medication to avoid catching anything :) The awesome 'Versified Harmonies' and the beautiful 'The Rarest Flower' round things off. Most the songs here run at around the three to four minute mark, and the whole package was produced by hubby Alexander Krull (who else) at Mastersound Studio. As always he has done a grand job. Super stuff! 9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
IANASONIC..'CONTROVERSY'
(Self Release) Reviewed 4th August 2010
This Portuguese combo was created four years ago by producer/writer Marco Jung, vocalist/writer Diana Freire, and guitarist/writer João Júlio. Their music is almost impossible to pigeonhole, I suppose a mixture of Evanescence, The Cranberries and a touch of Love and Rockets is closest comparison I can come up with, but this tells only half the story. They add all sorts of electronica and surprising ingredients into the mix, making each song quite an adventure. Songs like ‘Come In, Sit Down, and Relax’, ‘Five Days’, and ‘Pink Balloon’ are excellent up-tempo alt rockers. ‘My Little Bit of Sunshine’ is a groovy shuffle with Marc Bolan ‘ish’ riff, and ‘Bitter Flavour’ an equally catchy pop rock song. ‘Unfaithful Beliefs’ and ‘Love (Can’t Live Without It)’ are more experimental, proggish and atmospheric, while ‘Through and Through’ even sounds like Prince! The last track ‘Too Perfect’ shows their jazzy side with a touch of avante garde, together with the hidden bonus track, the trombone laced bossa nova ‘Too Perfect’, it’s like being in Parisian jazz club in the 60’s, you half expect Simon Templar to walk in! Production is excellent, and the whole album is a delightful and thoroughly fascinating listen. A song like the infectious ‘My Little Bit of Sunshine’ could easily become a hit, especially with that hook; it would certainly go down well on the radio. This is one controversy you won’t want to avoid, so sneak out the backdoor and head to their Myspace, www.myspace.com/ianasonic where you can purloin a copy before the press finds out. 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
IN THIS MOMENT..'A STAR-CROSSED WASTELAND'
(Century Media) Reviewed 12th July 2010
In This Moment is an aggressive Melodic Metal Band from the USA, and so happen to be fronted by the hottest chick in metal, and that is official. Indeed, this hot chick Maria Brink, sure knows how to let loose with her vocal chords. Time to hide behind the sofa me thinks :) Seriously, this lass has one helluva set of pipes and this their third album, is another awesome effort from this band, whose career I have been following with interest since their conception. The opening salvo of 'Gun Show' and 'Just Drive' will have you sitting up and taking notice, no doubt about that! 'The Promise' features guest vocals from Adrian Patrick and to my ears, has hit single written all over it, also proving that our lovely Maria can sing too. 'Standing Alone' showcases Maria's diverse vocal style very well, and although this diverse style may not be to everybody's liking, I myself just love it. The title track is a very melodic and slower number with great piano, and it is a track like this that proves to me how good this band really is! Lovely stuff and a great song too - one of my fave tracks to be honest. 'Blazin' sees the band returning to the heavier aggressive screamo style, with this melodic but heavy & bombastic music remaining with us for the remainder of the album. The record ending with the cool tear jerking ballad 'World In Flames' - lovely. In This Moment is sure building up a healthy fan base, and I am sure having a sexy blonde singer must play a part in that. But we must not judge a band on how sexy or good looking the singer is. Musically, this album is totally awesome and can only propel the band further up the league table. Great stuff and I myself love it to bitz...9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
KRYPTERIA..'MY FATAL KISS'
(Roadrunner Import) Reviewed 10th July 2010
I have had to move Heaven and Earth to get a copy of this album. It is certainly not readily available here in the UK (even on iTunes), and if you can get a copy, be prepared to mortgage your house to raise the money. But the trials and tribulations in getting this album has been worth it. This newest piece of work from Krypteria (released in 2009) offers a trend towards a more straight forward approach regards the melodies, although the guitar riffs are as melodic as usual. Gregorian choir chants and progressive instrumental parts still remain in place, and that guarantees the dramatic soundscape that is in line with the lovely Ji-In’s bright, poppy and at times almost classical vocals. Therefore, you will listen to what is overall a very good and rather pleasing package. However, this album may not be quite as heavy and technical as the equally as awesome 'Bloodangels Cry', and indeed, one will often hear a strong affinity to Pop melodies on this release - the title track, 'For You I'll Bring The Devil Down' and 'Never Say Die' as good examples of this. Kinda mainstream radio stuff with pop/metal sensibilities! You know what though, this is good stuff. Love it! 9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
TINA LIE..'FREE ENOUGH TO FALL'
(SIWU Music) Reviewed 6th July 2010
With a flavour of Country and a dash of Rock n Roll, Norwegian lass Tina Lie (pronounced Lee) has a rich, raw and distinctive voice, that will evoke the best of Americana Roots Music. And here as a consequence, we have an album for those long warm summer evenings to lie back and chill out too. With slow numbers like 'Black Swan' and 'Consumed', more upbeat offerings like the catchy 'Twilight Hour', the country sounding 'Gambling With The Stars'. And then we have two of my faves on the cd, 'Pirate's Heart' and 'Solid Ground', overall there is some good stuff on this record. Giving her a helping hand are Mauro Magellan (Georgia Satellites), Shaun Murphy (Little Feat & Bob Seger) and Grammy award winning Native American flautist Bill Miller (Eddie Vedder etc) amongst others. Tina is no newcomer to the scene either, having eight American tours under her belt. There are some poignant lyrics here, so if you fancy a change from the normal run of the mill rock and metal music, then 'Free Enough To Fall' is worth checking out, take it from me. It will be available from 26th July, but while you are waiting, check out http://www.tinalie.com/. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
INNER SHRINE..'MEDICEO'
(My Funeral Records) Reviewed 4th July 2010
If you have a friend who tends to lump metal in a one size fits all Iron Maiden ragbag, then play them this, it will blow their preconceptions/misconceptions clean out of the water. Formed by Luca Liotti (guitar, keys, music) and Leonardo Moretti (bass, lyrics) in Florence in 1995, they released the ‘Alchemical Trilogy’ between 1997 and 2004. Now they are back with an album about Florence (Firenze in Italian) during the time of the Italian Rennaisance, and the great Medici family of bankers who ruled the city. Appropriately the lyrics are in Latin sung by soprano Cecilia Boninsegni who has a gorgeous soft golden voice, backed by lovely Gregorian and classical choirs. I am really struggling to come up with comparisons for their classical music played by crunchy guitars, keys, and rhythmic drums, the closest I can get is a lighter Therion, Within Temptation at their most orchestral, and Ennio Morricone, especially his later more orchestral works. Melodic, melancholic, ethereal, spiritual, sublime, atmospheric, dramatic, and contemplative, but they vary the tempo and never get weird so it’s certainly not boring or difficult to listen to. This would be the perfect soundtrack for the next Dan Brown book to be turned into a film; I can just see Robert Langdon gallivanting around Italy accompanied by this, the up-tempo songs tailor made for the chases, the quieter tunes ideal for the more poignant moments. So just dim the lights, light some candles, pour some wine, lie back, relax and enjoy this art metal that is actually a joy to listen to. If you like symphonic metal, classical/ecclesiastical/renaissance music, and film soundtracks then the lovely digibook is available from their record company, http://www.myfuneralrecords.com , and their Myspace is www.myspace.com/innershrine . How on earth do I score this, there’s nothing to compare it to, all I know is that I really enjoyed it, so 8.75/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
INDICA.. 'A WAY AWAY'
(Nuclear Blast Records) Reviewed 1st July 2010
Good grief, these girls are hot hot hot, they make Girls Aloud look like The Andrew Sisters, but these ladies are no front for a synthetic concoction cooked up on a über producers laptop. Indeed, sitting in the producers chair is none other than Nightwish kingpin Tuomas Holopainen, a real stamp of approval and quality, and the music and lyrics are written by the band's charismatic singer Jonsu, with her band of childhood friends who are all real musicians who have done two tours with Nightwish. Plus they are not part of Simon Cowell’s stable of disposable pop sensations, instead they are signed to the mighty Nuclear Blast label, doyen of all things extreme. This has already caused some confusion, with death metal fans lumbered with reviewing their brand of mystic romantic pop/rock simply because it’s on that label, and there is a risk that in the more blinkered markets like Britain it will be ignored simply because of its association with metal. In Finland these girls have already enjoyed massive success, releasing four albums in their native tongue, now it’s time to take on the world with their English language debut. The outstanding orchestrations are by Pip Williams, a name familiar to Nightwish fans, while top playwright and poet Rory Winston has collaborated on the excellent thought provoking lyrics. The album includes some new English versions of the Finnish originals, so they have their entire back catalogue to raid, and this album is ram packed with goodies. Time for a quick run through, ‘Islands of Light’ is prime quality Nightwish ish symphonic pop-metal; ‘Precious Dark’, a superb suped up Bangles number; the dramatic folk epic ‘Children of Frost’; and ‘Lilja’s Lament’, a stunningly beautiful Celtic ballad which reminds me a lot of Katie Melua, especially with Jonsu’s vocals. ‘In Passing’ is a wonderful hook laden pop song; ‘Scissor Paper Rock’ is groovy, infectious guitar rock; the title track ‘A Way Away’, a gorgeous beguiling piano ballad; ‘As If’, a mighty middle eastern infused Nightwish esque pop-metal monster; and ‘Straight and Arrow’, a fantastic driving rocker. The last track is the utterly sublime ‘Eerie Eden’, plus you get the toe tapping Bangle ish bonus track ‘Outside In’. Nuclear Blast have thrown the kitchen sink at this, there’s 5 versions ranging from a suitcase (and I’m not joking!) to a simple CD, I steered a middle course and plumped for the limited edition digipak with DVD, rather lovely I must say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it, and boy, these ladies have got it by the truck load. The DVD, by the way, is packed with great videos and is excellent value for money, the acoustic performances highlight just how good the songs are when they are stripped of their production gloss. With top notch production and musicianship, this is a perfect pop/rock confection for fans of Nightwish, Within Temptation, The Bangles and Katie Melua. As Tuomas Holopainen says, ‘Indica has such sights to show you! You will be spellbound for a lifetime!’ I couldn’t agree more, I’m totally entranced, a magical 10/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
INTROITUS..'FANTASY'
(Bender Productions Self Release) Reviewed 9th June 2010
If you want to know what the introitus is, then ask your gynaecologist :) This album has been a labour of love for Mats and Anna Bender and their friends for ten years. We open up with the Camel Moonmadness like instrumental ‘Genesis’, full of mellow flute, tasty guitar, fiddling fiddles, and dramatic keys. The accordion laced ‘Child’ sounds like it came off 'Numbers' by Cat Stevens (one of my all time favourite albums), with a delicious Moog solo, while the spooky ‘Ghost’ starts out with a laid back Karnataka vibe, but has added oomph as it builds. We then come onto the 26 minute, 5 passage centrepiece and title track ‘Fantasy’, with Rick Wakeman, Alan Parsons, Jeff Wayne, Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, ELP and goodness knows what else thrown into the Bender’s blender, including gorgeous sax and guitar solos, plaintive cello, Greg Lake’ish guitar arpeggios, a bagpipe jig à la Ommadawn, tubular bells à la you know what, and a lighter waving sing-along, even a person with attention deficiency can’t get bored, absolutely wonderful stuff. Next up is the Horslips meets Vangelis instrumental ‘Crossroads’ that ends up getting all funky, then the lovely Celtic ballad ‘Here and Now’ with fiddle and pipes, and finally the rocked up Seekers like tune ‘Magical Moment’ which also turns rather groovy. 10 years of music ram jammed into over 70 minutes of grooves, it’s not fashionable, not trendy, not flash, not fancy, just damn good melodic prog for all you fans of Mostly Autumn, Karnataka, Pink Floyd, Camel, Alan Parsons, etc etc. Tunnel your way to their Myspace site www.myspace.com/introitus and find room for this in your collection. 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
KARMIC LINK..'ESOTERICA'
(Pervade Productions/Manitou Music) Reviewed 22nd May 2010
The second album by keys maestro Staphis Kassios and his two cohorts, Mina G from The Rain I Bleed and new recruit Evan Hensley on guitar sees the band moving away from the Delain esque gothic rock of their debut ‘No Light but Rather Darkness Visible’ towards a darker, more prog metal sound, with elements of power metal. This is a concept album about a news anchor woman who life is changed by strange phenomena that makes her face up to where modern society is heading and the power that the media and technology are imposing on the world. The best tunes have a touch of Ayreon about them, like ‘Whispers on a Breeze’ and ‘Still’. There are also some really good power metallish tracks like ‘Cold’, ‘Esoterica’, and ‘A Tattered Canvas’. The use of a drum machine encourages a touch of over indulgence with the buttons, and I am not a great fan of the shotgun snare sound. The mix is also rather guitar heavy, making the lyrics, which are so important in a concept piece, hard to hear at times. This will appeal to Dream Theatre, Ayreon and Anthropia fans, especially those like their prog metal at the more melodic end of the spectrum. Available from their Myspace www.myspace.com/karmiclink and other stores, 8/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
LOVE vs HATE..'DESTROYED' EP
(Independent Release) Reviewed 18th May 2010
Love vs. Hate is one of the true rising stars in the Dallas music scene. Vocalist powerhouse Jennifer, who writes and sings those songs, not only leads this female fronted group, she just so happens to be the one behind that hammering lead guitar as well. Three songs on this EP, and good ones they are, displaying an aggressive blend of bottom-heavy riffs, brilliant musicality and poppy & accessible melodies. To my ears second track in 'Get Over' vocally reminds me of a heavier sounding latter day Theatre of Tragedy. This band indeed has quite a pedigree and sure is worth checking out at www.myspace.com/lvhmusic. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
KANDIA..'INWARD BEAUTY, OUTWARD REFLECTION'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 3rd May 2010
In November 2007 a new rock band was born. After releasing an EP in 2008, May 2009 saw Kandia enter the recording studio. The result is this, their first full length release, that is influenced by music from A Perfect Circle, Tool, Him and Charon to name just four. Now then, if you like your music extremely melodic but powerful, with doses of metal added to the mix, this album will sure turn your insides out. Kandia in-fact hail from Portugal, and have given us one helluva album that deserves to take on the world and win! Fronted by Nya, 'Inward Beauty, Outward Reflection' sure has taken my breath away. After a brief instrumental intro, the opening salvo of 'Paranoia' and 'Into Your Hands' gives us an idea as to what to expect, as both songs fire their way out of the speakers. Awesome stuff! Hard, heavy, loud and melodic. 'Inwards' is a slower but equally heavy track...great piano intro to this excellent song. There are highlights galore on this album, which even features JP Leppaluoto from the aforementioned Gothic Finnish Band Charon, sharing lead vocals with Nya on the track 'Reflections'. This is one of the best independent releases I have heard in a long time with an amazing production to boot. Without a shadow of a doubt, this band deserves to be big outside of it's native Portugal. Check out www.myspace.com/kandiamusic to make your own minds up but to me, this is totally amazing stuff and worthy of a 9.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
INSPIRITION..'TRUTH TELLING'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 3rd May 2010
I want to try and prove that Ravenheart Music is not just a rock and metal site, and we do occasionally diversify. At times I come across music that I would call "thinking person's music", it being the type of music you can just sit back and listen to with your loved one, while drinking a glass (or three) of wine. And this release by Inspirition is one such release. Featuring the vocals of Isabel Aimee (who I had the real pleasure of speaking with on the phone last night), this is an interesting addition to my collection. The band call this type of music JAPRA - that's Jazz, Ambient, Pop, Rock, Alternative. I would even go as far as to call it Spiritual or even Sensual Rock, I think the sensual bit comes from the sexy sax of Clive Ashley that features occasionally on this recording. Anyway, JAPRA may well describe the music on offer quite nicely. Just listen to the jazzy 'Laser Sharp Knife' (featuring that sexy sounding sax) to hear what I mean. Indeed, the Jazz influences appear throughout, with Isabel Aimee's voice reminding me at times of Kate Bush or even Bjork. I can even imagine Isabel with this style of voice on the West End stage. Other faves include 'Call In Some Help', with awesome hammond organ, the emotional ballad 'Isalone', 'Smile On', the rocky and uptempo 'City', the awesome 'What's The Point In Singing' (my outright fave) and 'I Believe It's Time'. I assume that while listening to the lyrics, that most of the songs by and large are based on personal experiences. Anyway, this is the type of music that once upon a time used to frequent smoke filled bars. But although the music may still be there, the smoke filled bars have gone. This is a cool record that for the more adventurous amongst us (and I do like a bit of adventure), should try out. By the way, Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) has a copy! Check out http://www.INSPIRITION.info. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
LANEWIN..'AUTUUA'
(Liberty Records) Reviewed 28th April 2010
Lanewin are a brand new symphonic metal band from St Petersburg featuring two unique selling points, the powerful crystal clear operatic voice of the delectable Anna, and not one, but two keyboard players/composers. The results are a lighter Nightwish/Epica mixed with a heavier Rick Wakeman/Vangelis, packed with sensational synths. Anna’s voice, like the music, soothes and caresses, soars and roars, making the album a multi dimensional listening experience. Anna’s emotive, expressive lyrics add to the drama, allowing her to bring out her skills as an actress as well as a singer, turning each song into a mini theatrical musical. Highlights include the amazing ‘Gate of Lanewin’, the raging ‘Illusions of Dogma’, the Rick Wakeman’ish ‘Heartbeat’, the ‘sample and hold’ and rippling keys of the striking ‘Legend of a Savior’, the rampaging ‘Delusiveness’ (great word), and the delightful ‘Dark Love’. Autuua is when you drop a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples spread out, an analogy for the expanding effects of a single action. Lanewin are certain to make a big splash, and given the right push, their pebble can cause a tidal wave that can carry all before them. As Anna says in ‘Gate of Lanewin’, ‘Here we can forget all problems, Here we can laugh and dance! Come and join the world of music, Don’t be a fool to loose your chance!’, so ‘Run to a place where music, Fills the crazy air like oxygen’, www.myspace.com/lanewin and contact the band for a copy wrapped in it’s rather lovely artwork so that you too can ‘Taste the spirit of euphoria, Just enjoy it!’ I have also put a preview for your pleasure on our blog http://thefemalevoices.blogspot.com/ 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil Wooldridge)
HALESTORM..S/T (Bonus track version)
(Atlantic Records Import) Reviewed 21st April 2010
Halestorm are not a bunch of Scottish Pirates (cue Alestorm from Scotland), but are a band from Pennsylvania fronted by the lovely Lizzy Hale. They so happen to be a breath of fresh air in this current climate, and have hit us not like a hailstorm (!) but more like a galloping tornado. 14 tracks of melodic hard rock to sink your teeth into on this little platter. 'It's Not You' and the seductive and rather sexual 'I Get Off' get this album underway, while third track in, 'Bet U Wish U Had Me Back' is a smash hit if ever I heard one. 'Innocence' is another awesome melodic track with a chorus to die for. In-fact the verse chorus formula is apparent throughout the album, but you will not hear me complaining. 'Familiar Taste of Poison' has a slightly more gothic feel about it, a totally brilliant power ballad, and Lizzy's vocals...wow! 'I'm Not An Angel' is another ballad, with the cd in general offering a mix of slower and more uptempo tracks. There are further faves here including 'Love/Hate Heartbreak' and 'Better Sorry Than Safe', plus three rather excellent bonus tracks too, with not a filler in sight. The album should be easy to pick up being on Atlantic, so what are you waiting for. There is a Halestorm coming! 9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
The LOVECRAVE..'SOUL SALIVA'
(RepoRecords Germany) Reviewed 14th April 2010
Italian band The Lovecrave fronted by the lovely Francesca Chiara, is one of my fave bands, and here we have their latest cd, to be released on May 14th. I will not hide the fact that I am a lover of their previous release, 'The Angel and the Rain', and now along comes 'Soul Saliva'. Kicking off with the awesome and rather atmospheric 'The Other You', I like it already. The hideously catchy 'And Scream' follows, and this is a hit single if ever I heard one! Next up 'Warriors' has a slightly more electro feel, but maintains this catchy and up tempo style of music. The power ballad 'Fade' slows things down a little, but it seems now that I am in seventh heaven listening to this little platter. 'Get Outta Here' is next, and with music like this, I am staying exactly where I am! Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' follows, and this rendition of a Jacko song is pretty cool me thinks! Mixing it up a bit, the accoustic start to 'Your Fire' leads you into a false sense of security, before the track kicks off and bounces along extremely nicely, lovely stuff. 'Leon's Lullaby' is a cool and haunting tune, while the closing up tempo tunes, 'Tru Blood' and the slower and powerful 'Outsider' (with awesome guitar solo and orchestral arrangements) round things off very very nicely indeed. To summarise, this is a very good release and I would say it is even better than the awesome debut, 'The Angel and the Rain' (reviewed here in Nov 2006). I want to thank Francesca from the band and Kai at RepoRecords for the opportunity to review this release for the Ravenheart website. Anyway, check out www.myspace.com/thelovecrave and then get the album on May 14th - great stuff!! 9.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
IDEAS..'FONIX/PHOENIX'
(Nail/Hammer Records) Reviewed 8th April 2010
Ideas, Fonix / Phoenix, Nail / Hammer Records
Ideas have a long history going way back to 1994, making them one of Hungary’s earliest metal bands, but is was only with the recruitment of premier league vocalist Anita Kun in 2005 that they really took off. You get two discs, one in their native Hungarian, the other in English, hence the dual title. I wish bands with growlers would follow their example, a ‘clean’ CD and a separate ‘growly’ one, it would keep everyone happy. There’s no need to worry about cookie monsters here, this is supreme quality, Within Temptation mixed with Nightwish, symphonic gothic metal of the highest order. We kick off in grand style with ‘King of Swords’, big impressive sound, delightful piano motif, souring chorus, topped by Anita’s awesome voice. ‘Phoenix’ carries on in similar vein, this album is shaping up to be a cracker. ‘Just Remember’ keeps up the good work, ‘WOW this is good’ I find myself saying as the songs rattle along at a cracking pace. Other highlights include the immense ‘Burn On’, the inspiring ‘Never Believe’, the towering ‘You Decide’, and the final number, the superb ‘Silent Rain’, which starts as a flanged guitar ballad before taking off into a song of epic proportions, a fitting finale to a wonderful album. There is a bonus track on the Hungarian CD, the rousing anthem ‘Hazam Hazam’, a duet with Ficzek András from the band Dalriada; it’s rather interesting to hear the songs in Hungarian which is a dramatic language that gives the music a slightly different slant.The sheer quality of the song writing, production, musicianship and that voice lifts this into the premier league of symphonic gothic metallers, a must buy for fans of the genre, that is if you can get hold of a copy because it has never been released outside Hungary. As they have gone to the trouble of producing a separate English CD, this really deserves an international release. You can try the online shop at their website, http://www.ideasband.com/, the Underground Symphony online store, write to their record company, export@hammerworld.hu, or just have a scout around the net and EBay (remember it has two titles, so try both). This awesome band can also be found at their Myspace site, www.myspace.com/ideasband . You will be richly rewarded for tracking down this beauty, a really amazing discovery, 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
KELLS..'LUEURS'
(Savage Productions) Reviewed 30th March 2010
Kells come from France, and 'Lueurs' was released in 2009. What we have here is what could be classed as Melodic Gothic Metal, that would appeal to fans of Within Temptation, Evanescence and the like, sung by the way in the band's native tongue. Fronted by Virginie, Kells was formed in 2001 and this I understand is their second release. The quiet and atmospheric instrumental 'Reminiscences' gets the album underway, that then leads into 'Avant que tu...which showcases Virginie's vocal style rather nicely, this track giving us an idea as to what to expect on this cd. La sphere (feat Candice de Eths) features heavier harsh vocals, while Delivre-moi keeps the pace going - awesome techno style synths at the start of this track too. Generally, the album offers a similar mix thro the remaining tracks, heavy guitars, awesome vocals and some Within Temptation style choral backing at times. 'Le ciel', Ailleurs' and 'Sans teint' being three of my favourite tracks, appearing towards the end of the album. By and large, 'Lueurs' rocks, is melodic and rather heavy. I quite like it!...8/10 (Reviewed by Aimee)
LEAVES..'WHILE THE LIGHT CONTINUES SPINNING'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 28th March 2010
Leaves is a band from Barcelona, Spain. The band was born in 2000 under the name of The Stygian Lake. During February 2001, they recorded their first mini CD, 'XTC', which was well received by the public. Various line up changes along the way delayed things a bit, but with a name change to Leaves, and the arrival of new singer Raquel, the band worked on the idea of recording a full length album, which becomes this little opus. And what about this little gem? Well the album starts with the title track, a melodic number that instantly reminded me vocally of Anneke Van Giersbergen era The Gathering. And those influences show up throughout this record. But having said that, 'While The Light Continues Spinning' is nonetheless a very good recording with some awesome music on offer - imagine a mix of metal, gothic and trip rock!. Great musicianship throughout. No overall faves here as it is all damn fine stuff. The album comes as a digipack, while this band can be found at www.myspace.com/leavesbcn. This is worth purchasing to my ears for fans of our beloved genre. A powerful but delicate sound - good stuff! 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
HALF PAST FOUR..'RABBIT IN THE VESTIBULE'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 22nd March 2010
Half Past Four hail from Toronto and draw inspiration from King Crimson, Jethro Tull and many other progressive and art-rock bands. Their style is hard to describe and pigeon hole, with experimental arrangement, fusion composition, polyrhythmic structures and atonal melodies not uncommon in their music. To put it simply and to the man (or lady) in the street, I would call this album Jazz/Progressive Rock. This release is very different to the kind of music I would normally listen too, but I will say this, Half Past Four is good. The quirky 'Missing Sevenths' kicks things off, being followed by the awesome and very progressive 'Johnny', that showcases Kyree Vibrant's amazing vocal style. 'Southern Boogie', is almost reggae flavoured, and is one of my fave tracks, offering a great sax solo too. 'Twelve Little Words' sees Kyree belting it out, proving what a good voice she has. The instrumental 'Lullaby' kinda reminds me a little of Pink Floyd at times, and actually is one of the rockier moments on this record. Then we have the cool 'Strangest Dream', while 'Biel', running at over 8 mins almost goes operatic at the start. 'Dwayne' is another quirky one, while overall, an interesting album this certainly is, which ends with my all out favourite, ' Rabbit' - "Kill the Rabbit" sings Kyree! The type of music (with interesting lyrics as well) I would sit down and listen too with a bottle of wine. I have heard that this band is awesome live, but we possibly here in the UK will have to make do with the album for the time being, so check them out at www.www.myspace.com/halfpast4 and part with your hard earned cash. 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
KHAELYS..'DARKEST HOURS'
(Self Release) Reviewed 20th March 2010
The debut by this French formation of symphonic metallers featuring two babelicious babes, Kenza on vocals, and the most attractive tub thumper I’ve seen in ages, Lucie. I was saying in other reviews that the bands most eye-catching asset, the singer, is far more attractive than pictures of warehouses and trees, well, they should have a look at this artwork, lovely. Kenza has a semi-operatic voice similar in phrasing to Simone Simons, which is eminently appropriate for their early Epica style music, before that bands descent into death metal, without all that blast beating and screaming. They also share early Epica’s rubber band rhythm sound, instead of the normal wall of guitar noise, you get a nice bouncy boing. The rhythm guitar sound can make or break an album, and they have got it just right, in fact the mix is excellent, and without that wall of noise you can hear everything clearly, including Jonathan’s superb keys. I wish some other bands would take note of this, you do not have to make a ruddy racket to be powerful, and it’s lovely to be able to listen to all the instruments and vocals without straining. I also love Lucie’s Bonham’esque bashing crashing drums, she sounds like she’s in my living room (wish she was!). There are some growls from bassist Stephane, but they are quite deep and soft, so I don’t mind, there’s none of Mr. Jansen’s horrid howls. On a couple of numbers he also shows that he has got a descent clean voice as well. Phil’s picks include the rousing ‘Gone Away’, the pounding throbbing ‘The War’, ‘Frozen Gift’ with its impressive motif, and the groovy melodic duet, ‘Bittersweet’. The show ends with the eerie lament ‘Let Me Dream’, one of the most unusual songs I’ve heard in a long while. If, like me, you miss early pre death Epica, and you have found that their later albums have sent you screaming out the door, then you will love this. Easily available from their Myspace site, www.myspace.com/khaelys, so light up your Darkest Hours with this lovely CD. 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
CHRISTOPHER LEE..'CHARLEMAGNE'
(Cadiz Music) Reviewed 19th March 2010
We all know Sir Christopher for his work with Rhapsody, and the older ones amongst us will remember The King of Elflands Daughter, so this is the logical next step, to make a full blown rock opera with him in the starring role as Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, a part he can really sink his teeth into with his big rich baritone. By coincidence, Sir Christopher is a real descendent of the great king, making this doubly appropriate. Charlemagne was born around 742, and went on to create an empire that covered most of Western Europe. This massive project, with 100 piece orchestra, choir and metal band, is the brainchild of Marco Sabiu, who has worked with Kylie Minogue, Take That, and one of my great heroes, Ennio Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?). This is grandiose orchestral rock on a massive scale, a soundtrack to an aural film of epic proportions. It is divided up into 5 acts in two parts; the first part of each is an orated introduction, narrated by Sir Christopher’s daughter Christina, so you skip it and move onto the music if you so wish. We start with Charlemagne on his deathbed at the age of 72, an incredible age for those days, surrounded by the great and the good, as he begins to recount the story of his life. ‘King of the Franks’ tells of his rise to power, with his father, Pippin (or Pepin) the Short (his great grandfather was Pepin the Middle, honestly!), played by Phil S.P. We then move on to the wars fought on behalf of Pope Hadrian, portrayed by Mauro Conti, against ‘The Iron Crown of Lombardy’, with Christi Ebenhock as the singing storyteller. Charlemagne then meets his younger self, performed by Vincent Ricciardo, in the attempt to reconcile his actions in the long wars against the Saxons, in particular the most notorious episode in his long reign, ‘The Bloody Verdict of Verden’, when Charlemagne ordered the decapitation of 4000 Saxons who refused to give up their culture (world first headbangers?). ‘The Age of Oneness out of Diversity’ covers the growth of his empire, and finally we meet his wife in ‘Starlight’, the nubile Swabian Princess Hildegard, starring Lydia Salnikova. There is a bonus track about the wars in ‘Iberia’, but strangely we are left just as his army is about to be attacked by the treacherous Gascons, but no outcome. In case you’re wondering, the baggage train was raided, and Roland, the famous chivalric knight, was killed. Although not as metal as Rhapsody, this is mighty powerful, stirring stuff, and will appeal to all lovers of symphonic rock and metal, as well as musical theatre. A project of this scale and ambition does not come along very often, making it a rare and precious treasure, yet it is available for less than a king’s ransom from most merry merchants of musical merchandise. 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
LE MONNIER..'CYNIC SISTER'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 16th March 2010
In 2005, Jersey born singer and bassist Alex Le Monnier set out to find musicians that wanted the same as her; to play live, make records and travel. Later that year she met Essex lad Matt Keil, a pianist and guitarist whose classical training would add a new musical tilt to the bands style. The last piece of the puzzle came in the form of Terry Anderson, a drummer with an uncompromising metal style, that would add ferocity and rhythmic diversity. With the help of their local rehearsal studio, Le Monnier became the three-piece band that have released their breakthrough debut album 'Cynic Sister', that dropped onto my doormat a few days ago. Kicking off with a Middle Eastern type intro, 'Grey Symphonic', this then leads directly into the hard rockin 'Your Greed'. The slower 'Ballet' is the first ballad we come to on the album, and being a bit of a softy when it comes to ballads, I quite like it. The album picks up the pace again with 'Save Yourself', with all the 14 tracks here offering up a mid to uptempo menu of hard rock goodies, with the odd slower one for good measure. This is a pretty good album that again proves to me that there is an awful amount of good music out there that is going un tapped. A suggestion - go to www.myspace.com/lemonniermusic and then make your own minds up. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
LACHAISE..'SILENT CRIES FOR HELP'
(Micio Poldo) Reviewed 15th March 2010
I had better admit to a conflict of interests, the songs are so close musically to those I wrote for my own band, that it is very difficult to be objective. Groovy driving new wave rock inspired by REM, Stranglers, Magazine, Banshees, Blondie, The Damned, Duran Duran, and Ultravox with gothic overtones, their name coming from the famous Parisian graveyard, where the late great Jim Morrison is laid to rest, and appropriately there are some strong Doors influences here. They are in fact Italian by the way, founded by keys master and chief songwriter Suspiria. Annalisa, who passed the mike over to Xenya after the recording of the album, has a unique and very distinctive voice, somewhere around Sinead O’Connor. ‘That’s Enough’, ‘Short Life’, the lead single, and ‘A Matter of …’ are cracking commercial rock songs; ‘Maybe’, ‘Deep Silent Melancholy’ and ‘Wasteland’ are emotional and powerful; ‘Start Again’ and ‘It’s Just a Dream’ are simply wonderful. For anyone who likes darn good rock good songs, full of interesting guitars and keys, that you can dance or headbang to, depending on you penchant, then it’s available from most descent dealers, boogie along to www.myspace.com/lachaiseband to find out more. This out of body experience is well worthy of 8.75/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
LUST MURDER BOX..'THE NEW DIVINE'
(Independent Release) Reviewed 8th March 2010
Lust Murder Box hail from Austin in Texas, and this is their second album, their s/t debut sits proudly in my cd collection. Vocals are shared between Vaughn's sweet sexy vocal style and the male vocals of Nox. Offering up a tasty mix of Industrial, Metal, Gothic, New Wave, Synth Pop, Rock and Electro, you sure get your moneys worth here. Great synths too! This is a catchy little offering that would go down well in clubland in the USA and on mainland Europe too. Fave tracks of mine include the opener 'Clandestine' which obviously deals with matters of a sexual nature - done in secret perhaps (hence the title), the catchy mid paced 'Emotion To Kill', 'Nowhere With You' and 'Coercion'. This is a rather good record that can be bought from cdbaby.com, from the band's myspace site at www.myspace.com/lustmurderbox or as a download from iTunes. Pretty good stuff! 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)
GLASS DELIRIUM..'THANKS TO A MONSTER'S MANY HEADS'
(Self release) Reviewed 5th March 2010
The obvious starting point for this young American band is Lacuna Coil, due to their male/female vocal combo, courtesy of the flame haired lovely, Cassi Mego, and her cohort, Vincent Nunez, allied to their gothic flavoured rock/metal. But that tells only half the story, you have to add other heads to this particular monster; an extra injection of va-va-voom: the superb keyboards of David Newell; Vincent’s willingness to rock, croon, rap, laugh, roar and scream; an occasion bursts of Tool; and some very unexpected musical moments. There are prime gothic rockers like ‘Beside Myself’ and ‘Quintessence’, heavier proggier workouts such as ‘Secret’ and ‘Transfixation’, but there are also the two bar room boogies gone metal, ‘Glass Delirium and ‘An Enigma’, the latter living up to its name by turning into a My Chemical Romance style waltz. The two outstanding songs are the equally immense ‘The Color Nine’ and the final track, ‘The Clearing’. A special mention must also go to the brief orchestral waltz ‘Ellipsis’, which sounds like it came from a Hammer Horror film! When a band has a full time keyboarder it opens up so many possibilities, both sonically and musically, and this, plus their multifarious influences from other genres, sets them apart from Lacuna Coil and the rest of the pack. This multi headed beast of a record can be unleashed from eBay if you are in the US of A, and Amazon/iTunes download venues for the rest of us, see their Myspace for more info, www.myspace.com/glassdeliriummusic. Gothic/prog rock/metal fans will love putting this monster under their beds. 9/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
IVANA D'ARC..'S.M.Q'
(Self Release) Reviewed 2nd March 2010
The seductive Argentinean Ivana Horbatenko moved to the States to further her musical career, where she met multi-instrumentalist Mexican, Israel Mendoza, and this is the first fruit of their union. Ivana has a genuine trained operatic voice, with a lovely Spanish inflection, and delightful touch of Edith Piaf’s Little Sparrow torch singer (ask you great grandad), or for younger readers, a bit like Ayin Aleph, but without the craziness. Before you start making up your own versions, either clean or involving whips, S.M.Q. stands for Symphony Metal Queen. After the strangely creepy intro you get 11 prime slabs of up-temp opera metal with lyrics in Spanish and English. Picks include the glorious ‘Un Blanco Cisne’, the galloping ‘El Alquimista’, the dramatic ‘Symphony Metal Queen’, the thunderous ‘Angel de la Muerte’, and the headbanging ‘Lobo’. The centrepiece is the lovely piano ballad, ‘La Rosa en el Pantano’, which sounds like a French torch song, even though it is Spanish, it conjures up images of a rain lashed Parisian blackout during the occupation, where danger lurks in every shadow, as a mysterious blonde asks you for a light in the faint limelight glow, is she your contact from the resistance? The production is crystal clear, but I would have preferred more bottom end and I found the guitars a little trebly, but a twiddle of my knobs sorted it out. If you are missing Tarja era Nightwish, then this will be sweet music to your ears, as Ivana so eloquently puts it in the wonderful ‘Bienvenido a tu Eden’, ‘Come with me! See your destiny! You will love all I’ve got for you, all my music! Come with me! See your Destiny! You will love, love this symphony!’ I couldn’t put it better, better myself, your destiny is calling, calling you to CD Baby, your wallet is opening, opening itself, and you are paying, paying the lovely lady. 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
IN VIRTUE..'DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR'
(Self Release) Reviewed 26th February 2010
I had to double check that this bunch really are American and not French, the normal purveyors of speedy symphonic power metal, especially as the main man is Trey Xavier (guitar, keys, vocals), but no, they really are from Rohnert Park, California, which is in America I believe, unless it’s moved. They are fronted by the infamous Ms. C, I don’t know what she’s infamous for, but I’d like to find out! Trey supplies the occasional Cookie Monster to contrast with Ms. C’s clear pure vocals. It double kicks off with ‘Paralyzed’, speedy, catchy refrain, with a heavier call and response mid section, followed by the anthemic ‘Fatal Eclipse’, which verges on a metal folk reel at times, before turning into a hymn. ‘Dreamwalker’ is truly wondrous with a dream of a chorus, all together now, ‘Dreamwalker, Dreamwalker, dream until I return again’, it’s firmly stuck in my head, and it allows Trey to show off his keyboard skills. The album turns a little heavier now, with ‘Foresworn’ moving into Epica territory, and ‘Heather’ which has a 70’s classic rock vibe before ending with a sweet violin quartet. The real oddity is ‘Masochism and the Pursuit of Perfection’, which starts very heavy and aggressive, and then, urm, stops, as if there was a power cut in the studio. The last track ‘Underture’ gives Trey the chance to have some knockabout fun as he reprises a selection of themes from the album in various styles - classical, jazz, metal, synth pop, dirge, Arabian, darkwave, prog, folk, funk and finally a kazoo band, I kid you not, great fun. If they can pack their next album with Dreamwalkers, ‘Dreamwalker, Dreamwalker….’, sorry, it’s securely lodged in my cranium, then they will have a smash hit on their hands. Fans of Fairyland, Kerion, and Wildpath should dreamwalk their way to www.myspace.com/10133786 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Phil)
There are stacks more reviews (from 2006 til Jan/Feb 2010) at http://www.ravenheartarchives.com. Check em out!