Label : Curzweyhl

Review by Luisa Mercier

“Arcane” is the fourth Elane release and its music is inspired by the work of Kai Meyer, a German fantasy author that has published more than 50 books since ’90s. Elane and Kai met at a concert in 2006 and both agreed that their books and music could be perfect together, so “Arcane” is inspired by his novels and characters. The themes are present both in music and lyrics so let’s start this journey! “The Gift” is a short atmospheric intro, while in “Heart of the Desert” we get a taste of Joran’s powerful vocals: the production quality is very high; just listen to acoustic guitar, keyboards and percussions. “Samarkand” has a strong Middle - Eastern influence and it marks a new influence in Elane’s work, world music. In “Arcane Ride” you can hear all of the Elane influences combined together: folk and progressive mixed with Joran’s beautiful voice. The transition from a passage to another are smoothly arranged through the use of violin. Similar structure for “Magdalena”, with sultry strings arrangement and choir in the background, one of the highlights of the album. The band does write also in other languages than English and “Wasser und Fels” and “Die Geheime Melodie” are two short example of German-titled instrumentals with tin-whistles, strings and Joran’s vocalise. Cello makes its first appearance in “My Ivory Fairy”, slow folk ballad with rich strings arrangements in the chorus. “Abendruf” is a mysterious song sung in German, while reminiscent of the band old works is the acoustic “Lurlinnlight”. Enriched with flute it sounds sweet and delicate. Another folk-Celtic instrumental follows “Spinnerhaus”, and then the Latin “Deae Noctis” adds a different flavor to the album, being gloomier and heavier, though the strings and Elane typical arrangements are still present. “Dammertal” is another piece in the puzzle of beautiful instrumentals, “Masken” is the only track sung by male vocals. Last song is “Goddess of the Night”, more pop-oriented than the others, but equally good. “Arcane” is definetely a good album which can be enjoyed by folk lovers, but also by people with a different taste in music.

Rating - 85/100

Tracklist

1. The Gift
   
2. Heart of the Desert
   
3. Samarkand
   
4. Arcane Ride
   
5. Magdalena
   
6. Wasser und Fels
   
7. Die Geheime Melodie
   
8. My Ivory Fairy
   
9. Abendruf
   
10. Lurlinnight
    
11. Spinnenhaus
    
12. Deae Noctis
    
13. Dammertal
    
14. Masken
    
15. Goddess of the Night 

Line Up

• Joran Elane - Vocals 
• Nico - Vocals & Keyboard 
• Skaldir - Vocals, Guitar & Keyboard 
  
• Simon - Cello, Clarinet & Violin 
  
• Katrin - Violin

Links

MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site

Interview by Roberta Ilaria Rossi

Pythia is one of the most famous British metal band and they come back in this 2012 with a new record for Golden Axe Records, called “The Serpent’s Curse”. We had the chance to exchange some little words with the amazing vocalist Emily Alice Ovenden and that’s what she said to us!

Hi Emily, welcome to Femme Metal. Your new album, “The Serpent’s Curse”, will be released very soon. Would you like to share something with us?

“The Serpent’s Curse” is brilliant! Buy it if you haven’t yet!

In December, you released the single “Betray My Heart” and you also did a video clip for it. Why have you chosen this single to launch this new album?

We just felt it was the most immediate track and a good taster for the rest of the album. While I think there’s plenty of variety on the album, this was as representative of the album as a whole as any of the songs on there. It was definitely a good choice as it’s proved to be a big hit with fans live.

After the video, you streamed two more songs: “Just a Lie” e “Heartless”, both taken from the new record. What can you tell us about those?

Those again felt like some of the catchier tracks on the album and seemed the right choice to get out there. They were our choices for tracks for the Rock Band game and as they were being made available that way, it made sense to stream them. They’re also two of the fastest songs we’ve ever written so should be a challenge for people to perfect on Rock Band.

The album will be out on Feb 27th, via Golden Axe Records, who previously have released your debut album, “Beneath the Veiled Embrace”.  Have you had the chance to see (and to read) something from the critics and the press itself? If so, what was their reaction?

We’ve seen a number of reviews and so far the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Thankfully, most of the critics seem to be getting what the band is all about and enjoying how catchy some of it is but also finding out the layering and subtlety that we’ve put into the song writing. I’m also glad to read a lot of good feedback on my lyrics which I really put a lot into on this album and it’s the best compliment to hear that people are really latching on to that.

Do you think that this album will be appreciated by Pythia fans?

We hope so! At this point, the album has now been released and it sounds as though the fans are really digging it. Without wishing to blow our own trumpet, I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback from the existing fans. And I think we’ve also picked up a few more fans since the album’s release, which is just fantastic.

The artwork immediately caught my attention. Who created it?

It was done by a very well-known British artist called Brian Froud. I’m really lucky to have known Brian for a long time, since I was very young in fact and he was really up for doing the cover for us. He came up with a fantastic idea straight off the bat and was really open to our suggestions, leading to the final artwork we used on the album. I should also mention Gurdish Haugsdal who came up with the sleeve and inlay design, using Brian’s artwork. Again, Gurdish did an amazing job of bringing our ideas to life so the end result was exactly what we were hoping for.

Where did the idea for the album title “The Serpent’s Curse” come from?

It’s a reference to the snake in the Garden of Eden, as well as retaining the serpentine theme of the name Pythia. One of the recurring themes of the lyrics on the album is the stand-off between Darwinism and the idea of Creation, so I suppose it’s almost posed as a question to the listener – you decide!

If you were to define this new output with a word or an adjective, or even “a feeling”, which word would you use to describe it ?

Metal!

Having given the album a quick, I felt I could hear it being influence by the Nightwish album “Oceanborn” album, mainly on the track “Cry of Our Nation”. It seems like that maybe because of the keyboards who seem very “symphonic-oriented” or perhaps it is due to the hard and powerful guitars. Do you personally agree with this statement?

I don’t think it’s directly influenced, as none of us really listen to Nightwish or certainly haven’t for a long time. As a metal band with a female singer we have unavoidably drawn those comparisons to Nightwish, so I guess we’re closer to that earlier period of the band that was a bit thrashier – or so I’ve been told! I think if anything, we probably drew from the same influences that Nightwish did, so possibly that’s why there are parallels.

The record is quite multifaceted and quite catchy, sometimes it sounds like symphonic metal, but the thing that impressed me the most was the lyrical side of it. I know that write most of the lyrics for Pythia. What can you tell us about them? How’s writing process been, where did the inspiration to write such lyrics come from?

I wrote all the lyrics and it’s great to hear that they’ve come across well and people are enjoying them! I put quite a lot into them emotionally and in some ways it was almost a channelling process and I went to some very personal places with the lyrics. Really it all comes from my own experiences in life, love, relationships etc. As I mentioned before, there are also some philosophical questions in there, but again they come from my own personal perspective and view on the world.

Pythia is considered a metal band, even if I think personally that you’re more gothic-classical oriented. Do you agree with this?

I think we are definitely a metal band at our core. The drums and guitars are unmistakably metal, particularly on the new album and I think it’s something we’re unashamedly proud of. As for the gothic and classical influences, those are also really important parts of our sound, but I think those are more closely tied to metal than a lot of people think. If someone like Beethoven had been alive today, I think he probably would have been writing metal as there are a lot of similarities in the virtuosity of the musicianship and the complexity and layering of the composition. As a lifelong fan of gothic literature, I think the gothic influence is also valid as I think, even sub-consciously, it influences my melodies and lyrics, at least.

Emily, I know that you also sing in Mediæval Bæbes and Celtic Legend. How do you manage to reconcile all your work commitments?

I only sleep 30 minutes a night! My secret is out! Seriously, it is hard work, particularly with now being a mother, but I think if you have the passion and enthusiasm for things, which I certainly do, then you make it all work and fit together. There’s also the thing at the back of my mind that my voice isn’t going to last forever so I want to make the most of it while I can!

You use an operatic singing style. What kind of vocal training did you have?

I started singing at a very early age and was very fortunate to go to a specialist music school when I was a teenager.

I know that this year you will play in London and as well as in Cardiff, along with Serenity. What do you think of this Austrian band?

They’re a great bunch of guys and are deservedly making a name for themselves in Europe and over hear. Hopefully these shows should help them raise their profile further. I think what they’re doing is very accessible but subtly different to a lot of ‘power metal bands’ in that they have a higher level of musicianship and a complexity in their songs that gives them an extra depth. A couple of the guys in Serenity actually collaborated with the Pythia boys on a charity concert in memory of Marc Dyos’ brother Vincent, who sadly passed away in 2009.

What is your own relationship with the music you make and the stage?

As I mentioned before, I put a lot of personal emotion and energy into the lyrics, so I think I have a very close relationship with my music. As for the stage, it’s really important to me to be able to perform my music as, while I think you can get a lot from listening on a CD or digital copy, you can only really feel the true energy of the music if you get to see it performed live.

I know that in 2010 you also played in Belgium, for an important festival called Metal Female Voices Fest, that has the only purpose to promote fronted female metal bands. Would you like to share something about this experience with us? How was it for you playing live in front of so many people that were coming for you from all over the world?

It was incredible! A really great experience and one that I hope we can repeat at some point in the future. It’s a really well organised and put together festival and deservedly attracts a big, international crowd. It was amazing being able to interact with people from all over as well as share the stage with some great bands.

What do you think of fronted female metal genre? Is there any artist or band you like the most?

Apart from Pythia? Seriously, I don’t really see it as a genre, as most of the bands that are classified as female-fronted metal sound completely different to each other. Aesthetically they may have similarities, but sonically Nightwish sound to me really different to Leaves’ Eyes or Stream of Passion. And then I think we sound totally different to, say, Unexpected. I think the good thing about it being considered a genre is that it means people get to hear all sorts of different styles without maybe realising it. Hopefully they then go out and check out other bands in that genre, female-fronted or otherwise.

Your album will be released in Europe very soon. Is there something you would like to do after the promotion for the new record? Any hidden fantasy or dream?

Plenty of hidden fantasies, though none I’m going to share here :D I’m hoping we get the chance to do more shows in Europe and spread the name around more. We’ve got a distribution deal in Japan so it would be dream come true if we got the chance to play out there at some point.

Are you going to go on a European tour soon? What future is in store for Pythia?

There are some things in the pipeline, but nothing that we can announce yet. Watch this space!

Thanks so much for the nice chat, Emily. Good luck with the band! Anything you’d like to say to your fans and our FM readers?

Check out “The Serpent’s Curse” if you haven’t already! See you on the road in the not too distant future…

Links

MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site

Latest Multimedia

Interview by Roberta Ilaria Rossi

Dama is a gothic Italian band that is moving its own first step in the metal music business. I had the chance to exchange some words with the beautiful frontwoman, Barbara, who has explained me a little tricky things about her band and her passion for music. Follow with us what this wonderful lady told in the interview that follows here.

Hi Barbara. Welcome to Femme Metal. How are you doing?

Hi Roberta! I’m fine thanks and happy to talk to you..

You are the singer of the gothic italian band called Dama, band that was born in Milan, after a meeting you had with the drummer Pierfrancesco Tarantino. Could you please tell something more about you and on your band, for those who still don’t know your music?

Sure, the Dama project is born in lately 2007 when Pierfrancesco listened to a few of my songs and asked me a collaboration. we officially formed the band when the keyboard player and sound engineer Danilo Di Lorenzo, the bass player Roberto Gelli and the guitarist Cristian Comizzoli join in 2008. During that year we released a promo called “Dama” and we worked on the idea for our debut album “Eirwen” and here we are.

Talking about the name of the band: Dama is the name that you wanted to create for the band and I know that you’re a fan of gothic churches. What could you tell about it? Why have you decided this name?

I am a real lover of gothic cathedrals dedicated to Notre Dame. I studied their history, architecture, spiritual meanings, symbology and I visited most of them in France during a summer. When I came back from that journey I was totally in love and I decided to celebrate them calling my band Dama. I think Dama is an evocative word that well represents the world I was creating that period.

Before creating Dama, were you working with other bands or were you already thinking, in the early 2007, to create your own band?

I had a band in 2003 called Veil of Maya with Emanuele Rastelli from Magnifiqat, we played and wrote songs just for fun. Emanuele pushed me into writing and in 2004 we recorded a demo. One of those songs, “Alba”, written by my dear friend Federico Rebusso who played guitar in Veil  of Maya, has been rearranged by Pierfrancesco and included in “Eirwen”.

Dama is not related to the metal world, but it is closet to a gothic rock sound, influenced maybe by some female fronted bands. Do you agree with this? Which words describe best the real Dama sound?

Yes, The Dama sound for this album is a mix of gothic, rock and also a bit of pop. It has something of the melodic symphonic metal from the north of europe too. We’ve freely used all the ingredients we needed to describe the world I got in my mind.. and that’s the result.

A few months ago, on June, your debut album “Eirwen” was released for Ravenheart Records. The album is based on gothic rock, symphonic, maybe also a bit “pop” sound, if we could say so. What was the feedback from fans about this record? Has it got good reviews?

Well, I can proudly say that “Eirwen” has got good good reviews, it has been the top album of SpazioRock in August and foreign people have appreciated the italian part of the album too, that was a challenge! I think that our artistic intent has been well perceived and the “Eirwen” world now has a lot of inhabitants:). What we’ve read mostly is that this album has a unique and elegant sound, and someone wrote I am a poet;) . I guess we could say that the feedback has been positive!

The title of the album, “Eirwen”, initially, only by reading, reminded me of something related to the Celtic worlds; but where does this name really come from and why have you guys chosen this for your debut album?

When we had to decide on the title of the album, I asked myself which language would have been the best since it is both in Italian and English, we thought that it had to be something which could be read in both languages or which on the other hand, shouldn’t be of any of the two. Given my passion for the the celtic world, I decided on an word with a celtic origin. Eirwen means “white snow” in celtic and is composed from the word “eira” which means snow and “Gwen” which indicates white and everything which is pure, absolutely the perfect title!

The album consists of “two sides”: “Immaginario”, which mainly contains tracks written and sung in Italian, and “Imaginary”, the English side. Why did you choose to re-propose the same songs in English? What did you want to bet when you recorded the album?

We only wanted to play what naturally came from us.. when I write the songs at the piano they come out with a linguistic identity; Some of them come out in Italian, some in English and I know that some can be played in both languages and some absolutely not. And that’s what happened. Italian is a beautiful and evocative language and it’s been fundamental to create the “Eirwen” world.

Label : UDR/EMI

Review by Luisa Mercier

Blackmore’s Night on 30th September 2011 held a show in York, England at the Grand Opera House. The Medieval setting of the city provided the right atmosphere for the performance of the duo, famous for its Celtic/faitytale mood. Candice and Ritchie and their band of minstrels entertained the audience with songs from their latest two releases and great classics like “Fires at Midnight”. The costumes, the stage, the instruments, all is set to conjure up the image of a wood off a fairytales book or some Renaissance fair. Candice crystal clear vocals create a magic mood that, in addition to the music, is positive, lively, playful, sometimes melancholic but never too sad. In some songs like “The Circle” the rock roots of Blackmore come alive and the acoustic experience  turns into an amazing display of his guitar skills with a prog flavour. A beautiful keyboards solo introduces the instrumental cover of “O Fortuna” off Carmina Burana by Carl Orff  and introduces to “Journeyman”. The rest of the tracks alternate old and new in a journy through the different ages of the band and of history. The dvd is clearly for Blackmore’s fans, but I think that also a wider audience might enjoy it goven the quality and the beauty of the music that is close to our own shared history.

Rating - 80/100

Tracklist

1. Locked Within the Crystal Ball
2. Gilded Cage
3. The Circle
4. Journeyman
5. World of Stone
6. The Peasant‘s Promise
7. Toast to Tomorrow
8. Fires at Midnight
9. Barbara Allen
10. Darkness
11. Dance of the Darkness
12. Dandelion Wine
13. All the Fun of the Fayre
14. First of May

Line Up

• Ritchie Blackmore - Guitars, mandolin, domra, hurdy gurdy
• Candice Night - Vocals, chanter, cornamuse, shawm, rauschpfeife, tambourine
• Bard David of Larchmont: Keyboards and vocals
• Earl Grey of Chimay - Bass, rhythm guitar
• Squire Malcolm of Lumley - Drums and percussion
• Gypsy Rose:- Violin and harmony vocals
• Minstrel Albert - Various medieval woodwinds

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Site

Label : BadMoonBad Music/Solitude Productions

Review by Tony Cannella

It is odd when a band comes out with a 28-minute compilation EP. Such is the case with “Apple of Discord” by the Russian band Canonis. After a series of Demos – their first of which came out in 1995 – and a single, the band has compiled some of those moments on their new 7-song, 28-minute compilation. Musically Canonis began as Doom Metal band but has since evolved into playing ethereal, ambient music and that is the style that is showcased on “Apple of Discord”. On “Apple of Discord” the general tone is one of dark and beautiful music. Their Doom Metal period is clearly in the rear view mirror for Canonis as the songs display an ambience and ethereal splendor to them. There is also a bit of a Celtic, Folk flavor to some of the songs. Throughout “Apple of Discord” I was most certainly impressed with the overall presentation, sound and most of all songs from this talented Russian band. Hopefully a debut full-length from Canonis is not too far off.

Rating - 85/100

Tracklist

1. Apple of Discord
2. Memoria Vasta
3. Arkhaim
4. The Cold Sea
5. Snow River
6. The Aquarell
7. Amalgama

Line Up

• Julie White – Vocals
• Emily A.Saaen - Vocals
• Tim Spirit – Guitar, Flute, Programming
• Mike Deblin – Guitar, Keyboards 

Links

MySpace * Site

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

Tracklist

1. Wind Is Calling (Hush the Wind)
2. Gone Gone Gone
3. Black Roses
4. Now and Then (2011)
5. Dangerous Smile
6. For You
7. Call It Love
8. Robin Red Breast
9. Alone with Fate
10. In Time

Line Up

• Candice Night - Vocals