INFOS : webzine@femmemetalwebzine.net
Webzine dedicated to the metal band fronted by girls. We also like ambient,darkwave,rock & electronic music.
INFOS : webzine@femmemetalwebzine.net
Webzine dedicated to the metal band fronted by girls. We also like ambient,darkwave,rock & electronic music.
Label : Rare Noise Records
Review by Luisa Mercier
After a successful EP and a beautiful debut album, the Italian post-rock band from Naples is back with another fascinating record. “Ghost Dance” delivers us eleven tracks that show an evolution towards more ethereal soundscapes. Less rock, more keyboards, synth, thick moods, closer to acts like Sigur Ros or soundtrack music. “Heads or Tails” is an example with its piano ending while “Death Baby Chicco” toys with electronic music and distortions. “The Wolf” has some apparent psychedelic influences coming from Pink Floyd, “Trieste” is a rocking, melodic piece where blues makes its appearance. So I guess you must have understood that The Mantra ATSMM has a lot to offer: progressive, post-rock, shoegaze, electronic music, beats. My personal favourite is “Harlequin”: dreamy, soft, it is like a trip. I think that the title really captures the essence of the album: light, melancholic, nostlagic, ethereal like a ghost wandering in a room.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Nadir Music
Review by Tony Cannella
While perusing the internet, I noticed that some reviews for the latest album by Morgana, “Rose of Jericho”, were less than kind, some were harsh, too harsh, in my opinion. “Rose of Jericho” is not a bad album, it’s actually pretty good. Morgana is the alter ego of vocalist Roberta DeLaude and she is no newcomer, she is actually a veteran of the Italian metal scene. She began singing in heavy metal bands in 1983 at the age of 16 and released the debut EP from Morgana in 1988. Since then she has released material sporadically, but now Morgana returns with her first album of new material in years, so long time fans of the band should rejoice. Appropriately enough the instrumental “Alive…” gets things started and announces the return of Morgana. Next is “Love Me the Way I Am” and showcases Morgana’s melodic metal sound with a grinding guitar riff. Other songs such as, “Golden Hours”, “Lady Winter” and “610” pretty much gets the point across what Morgana is all about and what “Rose of Jericho” has to offer, just simple, basic, melodic heavy metal. I don’t mean that in a negative way at all. The songs are what matters and for the most part they are good. The instrumental “…And Kickin” – fittingly enough – brings “Rose of Jericho” to its conclusion. The whole thing features 9-songs and only 36-minutes worth of music, barely longer than an EP. I have to admit that while I had always heard the name Morgana, I wasn’t familiar with her music at all, so I had nothing to compare “Rose of Jericho” to. Taken on its own merit and with no preconceived ideas about her past music, “Rose of Jericho” is just a good melodic heavy metal album that recalls the 80s, while still having a hold on what is relevant in 2012.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Independent Release/Revalve Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Pursuing the End is an interesting little band from Italy. In 2011 they released their 4-song 15 ½ minute EP, “Dawn of Expiation”. Now the band returns with a new 3-song, 10 ½ minute single titled “Withering”. There is actually a lot to like about this operatic, symphonic metal band as their debut EP hinted at. “Withering” is mostly a good effort. The male vocals by Giacomo Benamati are clean metal vocals, no screaming or grunt here, they are more along the lines of the male singer from Visions of Atlantis. The angelic sounding female vocals by Caterina Bonfanti are excellent as well. Unfortunately though, in my opinion the female operatic vocals are a little too over-the-top. Others may disagree and find this right up their alley, but I think Pursuing the End would be better served if they toned down the opera elements. That is not to say that there are not parts where it could definitely work.“Overture” starts things off with its orchestral intro setting the stage for “Withering” which starts off with the ultra-operatic vocals when Giacomo takes over and the angelic female vocals come in, these definitely save the song for me. There are a hint of grunt vocals in the background but they are very low in the mix. Musically, “Withering” is a beautiful song that shows that this band is capable of so much more. “A Glimpse of Forbidden” closes out the trio of songs and once again has a lot going for it musically. Thankfully the band relies mostly on the clean male vocals and the angelic female vocals and strong choir-like background vocals. The operatic vocals are utilized but not as much as in the previous song. “Withering” is definitely a step forward from “Dawn of Expiation”, but the operatic vocals are certainly going to be an acquired taste for some, but others may love them and others may be turned off by them. There is no accounting for taste, I guess. Pursuing the End is a good band, but in my opinion could be so much better.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Relapse Records
Review by Luisa Mercier
This record is not the usual Relapse record, it is an album that is quite far away from the styles which are usually proposed by this label: the debut by Royal Thunder is neither death metal nor sludge, but it is a mix of southern rock and doom with the vocals of Mlny Parsonz on top. The band deliver us a full-lenght that unites hard-rock, psychedelia, Southern rock and progressive. The powerful voice of Mlny is accompanied by dreamy atmospheres created by the guitar riffs, courtesy of guitarist Josh Weaver and drummer Jesse Stuber (who recorded the album). Doubtlesse, this is a record that catches the listener attention and the will to listen to it again after the last track is stronger than ever. What are the main highlights of “CVI”? It is hard to say since every track is really worthy on its own, but I will try to point out some that have impressed me the most: the opener “Parsonz Curse”, “Whispering World”, “Sleeping Witch” and the closing track “Black Water Vision”. This album is a true cult for all the people who love the styles I listed above, but it can be suitable also for newbies since I find it not too difficult to listen to, and this is a good quality given the genres here involved.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Candlelight Records
Review by Luisa Mercier
Back in 2006, when “The Butcher’s Ballroom” was released, I truly felt it was something totally new, a breath of fresh air in the female fronted scene that started to show signs of lack of inspiration. They also were really underground, it was hard to find a copy of the album, but thanks to the very effective “word of mouth” on the web, soon their fame increased. And here we are, six years later, with a world tour incoming and albums sold all over the Internet and physical shops. In the meanwhile, they released another album “Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious” which showcased their classy trademark avantgarde metal mixing Russian folk, Italian opera, metal and much more. After three years, a new record deal with Candlelight, D:S:O are again on the stage with “Pandora’s Piñata”. I have to admit that I did not expect a great surprise since, after the first album, the avantgarde scene got filled up with bands, and a lot of ideas were alreay taken. I am happy to say that Diablo Swing Orchestra changed my mind after a few listenings. “Pandora’s Piñata” is a mix of metal of various kinds and folk from all over the world blended by D:S:O unique way of doing music. The opener “Voodoo Mon Amour” is a classic DSO tune that reminds me a bit of “Ballrog Boogie”. Metal meets swing, while in the following “Guerrilla Laments”, Diablo Swing Orchestra have created a new genre: samba metal. The usual jazz influences are not missing. Ann-Louice really is shining through the record with her opera vocals mixed with an atmosphere that seems coming out straight of Rio de Janeiro Carnival. “Kevlar Sweethearts” is one of my personal favourite and has a beautiful soft string arrangement, while Ann-Louice uses her non-opera vocals. They are beautiful, elegant showing how she can handle different styles. The song is a bit less fast than the previous ones, more guitar driven but the hook never misses his goal. “How to Organize a Lynch Mob” is just a string instrumental break. One of the craziest tracks is “Black Box Messiah” with its crazy kids chorus that reminded me of Pin-Up Went Down. Male vocals make their appearance and I can hear some folk influences from distant China. A nice contrast between chunking guitar riffs and strings in the intro of “Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball”, finding its way through electronics, trumpets and drums. The way male vocals have been handled in the end, recalled me some of the more symphonic Muse stuff. A musical feeling is what you get from “Aurora”, a track to let Ann-Louice show all her skills. It is a completely orchestral aria that would not make a poor impression on a Broadway stage. Middle-Eastern feelings is what you get from the beginning of “Mass Rapture”, and all over it is a very symphonic piece, quite different from the rest. Another gem, for sure. “Honey Trap Aftermath” is not metal, it is very jazzy, swing oriented, while “Of Kali Ma Calibre” has almost black metal blast-beats. Another highlight of the record. Closing track “Justice for Saint Mary” was a bit of a let-down since til half of the track sounds the same. It is a ballad that slowly changed and turns into a stormy metal track and in the end into a dubstep track. We are at the end of this crazy trip and all I can say is that D:S:O again delivered a very good record. They are among the strongholds of avantgarde metal.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Ministrel Hall
Review by Luisa Mercier
The happily married wife of Ritchie Blackmore decided to go solo and provide us with this nice collection of tracks. Of course, they stray away from the usual medieval tinged acoustic music played by Blackmore’s Night and propose us a mixture of pop, pop-rock and sometimes hard-rock. For example “Gone, Gone, Gone” the first single, is a perfect catchy rock song while the following “Black Roses” and “Now and Then 2011” go back to the fairish atmosphere we are used to associate to her. “Dangerous Smile” could have been a real hit if sung by some pop-star and with a slightly different arrangement. Completely Celtic influenced is “For You”, so it fits the imagery Candice has created around her during these years. “Call It Love” is a bit cheesy, but it is equally a good song to listen to, followed by “Robin Red Breast”, a sweet ballad driven by acoustic guitar and Candice’s vocals. Violin is the lead instrument in “Alone with Fate” which closes the album together with the medieval sounding outro “In Time”. A good release, not a masterpiece, but sounds suitable as pleasant background music.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Wannasee Records
Review by Tony Cannella
My only knowledge of the German singer Claudia Uhle – otherwise known as Angelzoom – has been through various compilation albums. Her new album “Nothing Is Infinite” is out now and this is my first chance to sample an entire album from this talented singer. Musically, Angelzoom offers a wide scope of ambient, electro and gothic influences. “Nothing s Infinite” features 14-songs and 50-minutes worth of cohesive, innovative and atmospheric music. Some of the strongest tracks are: “The Things You Said”, “Runaway”, “My Innermost” and “Fragile”. The vocals of Claudia Uhle are on full display throughout the album and it helps to create an enjoyable listening experience. The music on “Nothing Is Infinite” is pretty laid back and at times relaxing to listen to. Angelzoom is a different kind of animal than what your average metal head might listen to but still it is cool to put on for a change of pace, besides you can’t bang your head all the time. Can you?
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Metal Mind Productions
Review by Tony Cannella
Germany’s Angelzoom is a non-metal project led by Claudia Uhle. In 2004, Claudia released her self-titled debut album under the Angelzoom banner and now that album has been re-issued via Metal Mind Productions out of Poland. Not only is the original album presented here but there is also some cool bonus material included on the re-issue. So fans of the band will have an added incentive to include this CD in their collection. First off, Claudia Uhle has got such an expressive voice and vocal style. The debut from Angelzoom is an albums worth of dreamy, soundscapes. This re-issue is filled to capacity with great music. Songs like “Turn the Sky”, “Back in the Moment” (which I believe she made a video out of), “Guardian Angel” and “Fairyland” all highlight the strong material contained within. Instead of playing Metal, Angelzoom offers a unique mixture of Classical, New Wave, Dark Wave, Gothic and Electro Pop. Whatever Genre, Angelzoom lies in; there is no denying that Claudia packs plenty of atmosphere into the songs on her debut.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Nonesuch Records/Warner Music
Review by Luisa Mercier
“Sun Midnight Sun” is the second solo effort of Sara Watkins, violin and fiddler player, plus singer and songwriter, once part of the bluegrass band Nickel Creek. Even though all the songs have that folk-country old feeling around them, only two are actually oldies: “You’re the One I love” in which Sara is joined by her friend Fiona Apple. The song is muche faster than the original one and it sounds angry more than loving. The other cover is Willie Nelson’s “I’m a Memory”. This time the guest is Jackson Browne. They added to the song a hook that was missing, making it an ultra catchy tune! The chosen single is “When It Pleases You”, written by Semisonic Dan Wilson. The song is quite long, seven minutes, and it is a mid-tempo power ballad with some rock hints and Sara’s sweet violin. The rest of the album was written by Sara, alone or with her producer Blake Mills. The intro “The Foothills” somehow links Sara to her previous work with Nickel Creek, even though the distorted violin is more rock than country. Another worthy composition is “Be There”, a ballad quite sad and hopeless. I loved it. Even though the title suggests differently “Impossible” is slightly more lively and joyful. Sara is doubtless matured since her Nickel Creek times and people will love this record when will listen to it.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Nonesuch Records/Warner Music
Review by Luisa Mercier
“Sun Midnight Sun” is the second solo effort of Sara Watkins, violin and fiddler player, plus singer and songwriter, once part of the bluegrass band Nickel Creek. Even though all the songs have that folk-country old feeling around them, only two are actually oldies: “You’re the One I love” in which Sara is joined by her friend Fiona Apple. The song is muche faster than the original one and it sounds angry more than loving. The other cover is Willie Nelson’s “I’m a Memory”. This time the guest is Jackson Browne. They added to the song a hook that was missing, making it an ultra catchy tune! The chosen single is “When It Pleases You”, written by Semisonic Dan Wilson. The song is quite long, seven minutes, and it is a mid-tempo power ballad with some rock hints and Sara’s sweet violin. The rest of the album was written by Sara, alone or with her producer Blake Mills. The intro “The Foothills” somehow links Sara to her previous work with Nickel Creek, even though the distorted violin is more rock than country. Another worthy composition is “Be There”, a ballad quite sad and hopeless. I loved it. Even though the title suggests differently “Impossible” is slightly more lively and joyful. Sara is doubtless matured since her Nickel Creek times and people will love this record when will listen to it.
Rating - 75/100
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