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 : Nuclear Blast Records
Review by Tony Cannella
The long running Norwegian Symphonic/Gothic Metal band Sirenia has always managed to write good songs, going all the way back to their 2002 debut, “At Sixes and Sevens” right on up through their excellent 2009 release “The 13th Floor” – which was the first album to feature new vocalist Ailyn. Now, the band returns with their fifth full-length release “The Enigma of Life”. Sirenia has always done a great in incorporating choirs and symphony elements into their music and “The Enigma of Life” is no different, they also don’t stray too far from what their fans love about them. As on their previous album, vocalist Ailyn does a great job throughout the course of “The Enigma of Life”. The melodically charged opener “The End of It All” begins things, with a big symphonic arrangement and a wickedly infectious chorus and melody. That is pretty much what you can expect on “The Enigma of Life”, plenty of well written songs, with thoughtful and articulate lyrics. Morten Veland adds his vocals (both harsh and clean) to the mix at certain points throughout the CD. “Fallen Angel”, “All My Dreams” and “Darkened Days to Come” are three more highlights, while the album is concluded by my favorite song “The Enigma of Life”, which ends the CD on a definite high. It is good to see that Sirenia continues to grow and mature. With Ailyn firmly entrenched now and fitting in quite well in the vocalist role, “The Enigma of Life” is sure to please die-hard fans and just may acquire Sirenia some well deserved new fans as well.
Rating - 87/100
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Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
On their debut EP “Solarium”, Chicago, Illinois’s Shield of Wings offer up a satisfying cocktail of Symphonic Metal that is sure to please fans of the genre, not to say that Shield of Wings should be lumped into one style of music. There is plenty here that can - and should - appeal to fans of other areas of the metal hierarchy as well. “Essence and the Moon” is a frenzied opener and one the heavier, more chaotic tracks to be featured here. Female vocalist Grace Meridan has a vocal style that soars along with the music. She is joined at certain points throughout the CD by the extreme vocals of James Gregor, giving the band a kind of similarity to another great band Epica, that is the closest comparison I can think of, but it is also obvious that Shield of Wings are well on their way to developing their own identity. The next track, “Solarium” is an energetic, galloping track that keeps the momentum on the rise. Next is the almost 7-minute “War and Rapture”. That is followed by the Celtic influence of “Malady”. The just over 1-minute “Threshold” serves as a bridge to the final song “Carnival Mirror”. Throughout the 6-songs and 26-minutes worth of material provided on “Solarium”, Shield of Wings really has released a piece of work that should separate them from the crowded symphonic metal field.
Rating - 87/100
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Label : Nuclear Blast Records
Review by Tony Cannella
In the burgeoning metal sub-genre of Folk Metal, it doesn’t get much better than Eluveitie. If they are not at the top of the Folk Metal Mountain, then they’re pretty damn close. The Swiss band returns with their fifth album “Helvetios”, and from the word go, this is a relentless aural assault that pretty much is unyielding until the end comes after about 59-minutes. “Helvetios” may be Eluveitie’s most complex work to date, as the band has gone all out to raise the bar a little higher. The opening narration of “Prologue” sets up the story as the band blasts into the intense “Helvetios”. From the opening intro it is easy to discern that “Helvetios” is a concept album, you can read online what the story is about – it is far too long and complex to describe here, but as far the songs and the music goes, this is one merciless album from beginning to end. The choruses are forceful, memorable and delivered with genuine authority. Eluveitie comes at you with a powerful blend of their trademark folk-metal sound combined with Thrash-Metal like intensity. The bulk of the vocals are handled by Chrigel Glanzmann whose style is aggressive and harsh. Female vocals are present mostly for background and they really do enhance the songs, but the females in the band Anna Murphy and Meri Tadic make significant contributions besides on the vocal end of things as they add such non-traditional metal instruments as the hurdy gurdy, flute and violin, so their contributions should not go unrecognized, they are a big part of what Eluveitie does. After “Helvetios” next up is the phenomenal “Luxtos”, this is a perfect example of a song with an unforgettable chorus and one of my favorite songs. “Santonian Shores” has an upbeat, faster tempo and quickly became another favorite. Once again, a great chorus is present on this one. The female vocals are given the full spotlight and allowed to shine on “A Rose for Epona” and “Alesia”. “Alesia” in particular is phenomenal. It starts off slow like a ballad before getting heavier and the two different vocal styles (the female and male) duet on this one and it sounds just tremendous. The whole story is wrapped up nicely with the ending “Epilogue” drawing “Helvetios” to a close. Yes, Eluveitie do get mentioned in the Folk-Metal genre quite a bit. Maybe it’s deserved, maybe it’s not. There are certainly some Folk-ish elements in the songs, but that is just a part of what they do and why they are so effective (in my opinion). They don’t flaunt their Folk moments like ‘Look what we can do’; rather they utilize them when needed. “Helvetios” It is just a great album that – in my book – sets Eluveitie far apart from other bands in the genre.
Rating - 95/100
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Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Brazil’s dark Symphonic/Gothic Metal band Iluminato came to fruition in 2010. The band is comprised of two full-time members. Female vocalist Liz Demier is joined by the bands founder Pablo Ferreira - who also adds Grunts and Guitars to the mix – on their debut release “Reflections of Humanity”. With a playing time of only 37-minutes long “Reflections of Humanity” is a pretty relentless slab of metal that brings forth plenty of aggression combined with healthy doses of melody. The opening track “Helm of Blindness” starts us off with a mournful violin intro before the track kicks into high gear. Female vocalist Liz Demier offers an operatic style which is offset by the guttural screams of Pablo Ferreira. The second track “Hypocrisy” brings the intensity up a notch with its brutal thrash metal style and is a track that I wanted to hear over and over again, this – in my opinion – was the best song on an album filled with such strong material. “Betrayed Soul” slows the tempo down a bit and evolves into a cool, melodic number. “Howard Beale” is next and uses an excerpt from the mid-seventies American film Network. This leads us into the pounding “Imperial Heart”. “Aurea” quickly became another favorite and it shows the diversity that Iluminato are capable of with a part ballad/part mid-tempo heavy style, the vocals between Liz and Pablo are really the highlight of the song for me. “Diana Christensen” is another intro track that uses another bit from Network and segues into the next track “Hell”. If you think with a title like “Hell” this would be one of the heavier tracks, you would be correct. “Reflections of Humanity” is brought to a beautiful conclusion with the final two songs “The Last Road” and “My Astral Home” which is a striking ballad highlighting the voice of Liz and only lasts for about 2-minutes. Despite its rather short playing time “Reflections of Humanity” definitely goes in for the kill and gets the job done. Iluminato has delivered a fine debut that should please fans of (old) Tristania, The Sins of Thy Beloved and Draconian.
Rating - 86/100
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Review by Tony Cannella
Brazil’s dark Symphonic/Gothic Metal band Iluminato came to fruition in 2010. The band is comprised of two full-time members. Female vocalist Liz Demier is joined by the bands founder Pablo Ferreira - who also adds Grunts and Guitars to the mix – on their debut release “Reflections of Humanity”. With a playing time of only 37-minutes long “Reflections of Humanity” is a pretty relentless slab of metal that brings forth plenty of aggression combined with healthy doses of melody. The opening track “Helm of Blindness” starts us off with a mournful violin intro before the track kicks into high gear. Female vocalist Liz Demier offers an operatic style which is offset by the guttural screams of Pablo Ferreira. The second track “Hypocrisy” brings the intensity up a notch with its brutal thrash metal style and is a track that I wanted to hear over and over again, this – in my opinion – was the best song on an album filled with such strong material. “Betrayed Soul” slows the tempo down a bit and evolves into a cool, melodic number. “Howard Beale” is next and uses an excerpt from the mid-seventies American film Network. This leads us into the pounding “Imperial Heart”. “Aurea” quickly became another favorite and it shows the diversity that Iluminato are capable of with a part ballad/part mid-tempo heavy style, the vocals between Liz and Pablo are really the highlight of the song for me. “Diana Christensen” is another intro track that uses another bit from Network and segues into the next track “Hell”. If you think with a title like “Hell” this would be one of the heavier tracks, you would be correct. “Reflections of Humanity” is brought to a beautiful conclusion with the final two songs “The Last Road” and “My Astral Home” which is a striking ballad highlighting the voice of Liz and only lasts for about 2-minutes. Despite its rather short playing time “Reflections of Humanity” definitely goes in for the kill and gets the job done. Iluminato has delivered a fine debut that should please fans of (old) Tristania, The Sins of Thy Beloved and Draconian.
Rating - 86/100
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Label : AFM Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Is this 2012 or 1985? I absolutely, positively DO NOT mean that in a negative way either. The Polish band Crystal Viper has made a history out channeling some classic style, true heavy metal of the past, and I don’t know, maybe it’s just me but damn does it sound fresh and revitalized. The 4th and latest piece of true heavy metal nirvana provided by Crystal Viper is perhaps their most ambitious to date: “Crimen Excepta”. “Crimen Excepta” is a concept album about the Holy Inquisition, black magic and witchcraft. You don’t get much more metal than that. “Crimen Excepta” is listed to have 15 tracks (17 on the limited edition) because each song is separated by a brief interlude that segues into the next song. The opening track “Witch’s Mark” heralds Crystal Viper’s return and this is just a flat-out head banging metal tune and what a way to kick start “Crimen Excepta”. For the next song “Child of the Flame” the band dials back the speed a bit and deliver a heavy track that features some classic guitar harmonies and guitar work that recalls vintage Iron Maiden, Running Wild and Accept, and some gang style background shouts. “Crimen Excepta” is probably the darkest and most relentless Crystal Viper album to date, a fact that is heard on the fantastic “It’s Your Omen”. This song features some keyboard/organ work that is somewhat reminiscent of late 80s/early 90s King Diamond, particularly the KD album “The Eye”. This song is accentuated with a great solo courtesy of Andy Wave. For the next track vocalist Marta Gabriel is joined by David Bower of the NWOBHM band Hell who adds additional vocals to the song. Maybe technically Marta is not the best singer you will ever hear, but her voice just has so much power and emotion and it is pure metal reminiscent of the legendary Leather Leone. Some of Marta’s screams would sure give Leather a run for her money. The limited edition features two bonus tracks. The first one is a cover of “Tyrani Piekel” from fellow Polish band Vader. As you can imagine, this is a heavy cover and the band is joined by none other than Peter from Vader as he lends his vocals to the track. The second bonus track is the title song from the upcoming movie, “Ghosts of Sherwood”. Those two songs make the limited edition essential for fans of Crystal Viper. When you buy a Crystal Viper album, you know what you are going to get. That is not to say that they are boring or predictable, they are not afraid to add a new wrinkle here and there, but at the end of the day Crystal Viper is a heavy metal band and they are proud of that fact. With “Crimen Excepta”, Crystal Viper continues to pay homage to a bygone era in heavy metal whilst still remaining relevant in 2012 and leading the way for bands that play classic heavy metal.
Rating - 93/100
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Review by Tony Cannella
Saint to Sinner are a young melodic metal band from Rhode Island. Their independently released debut is titled, “The Unveiling”. It is an impressive mix of moods and tempos that help to make, “The Unveiling” an enjoyable listen. The album is also dominated by some crunchy guitar riffs, courtesy of Rich Bova.“The Unveiling”, features 5-songs worth of heavy music with some serious modern sounding, heavy riffs. Desiree Villegas is the lead singer and her style comes across very strong and full of attitude and swagger. “The Unveiling” comes on hard and fast from the opening tune, “Fallen Generation”. This is really an excellent way to begin things, the riff is crunchy and Rich Bova adds some male vocals which can be heard on other parts of the CD. “Careless”, slows things down a bit and evolves into an atmospheric 6-minute track, the song changes tempo several times and Desiree turns in her best vocal performance on the CD, in my opinion. “Anti-Corporate” and “Vindictive” are just full of anger and energy.The 1-minute outro, “Tampere” brings the CD to a close - this instrumental piece reminds me a bit of Metallica from the “Master of Puppets” era. All-in-all, “The Unveiling” is a pretty intense 21-minutes. Saint to Sinner have a lot going for them, cool songs, great presentation and an undeniable attitude and raw power that comes through loud and clear.
Rating - 85/100
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Label : Nightmare Records
Review by Alessandro Narcissus
American heavy metallers A Sound of Thunder are a young yet fast growing act. Fronted by powerful and charismatic lead singer Nina Osegueda, this Washington D.C.-based quartet has released three records - an EP, a non-album charity single and its first full-length - between 2009 and 2011, and shows no signs of slowing down. A Sound of Thunder’s challenge this year is to confirm the positive impression they’ve given with their critically acclaimed debut album “Metal Renaissance”, which they accepted releasing their sophomore album, “Out of the Darkness”. Will they overcome it? Well, first of all let’s state this clear: in a crowded scene such as that of female-fronted metal, the only means to survive is a strong identity. With this record, A Sound of Thunder proved to have their own with a well balanced, captivating blend of different elements that, by drawing from a wide range of genres, creates a unique, unmistakable sound. We can basically define this recording a power metal-influenced hard rock album which enriches its hues with progressive digressions, gothic touches (used in a very classy, non-clichéd way), even going as far as getting jazzy or slightly folkish at times, including some virtuosity every now and then which, for a change, really fit the songs rather than being pretentious. Moreover, all the instruments, supported by the crystal-clear production of Kevin “131” Gutierrez, are perfectly balanced and each of them gets the right recognition: Nina Osegueda’s powerful, versatile vocals become a fitting completion to the other instruments rather than dominating them; Jesse Keen’s keyboards add many different flavours without being overwhelming or drowning the rest; Josh Schwartz’s guitars are heavy and smacking without sounding pretentious, and even his solos are truly functional to the song structure rather than being thrown in just for the sake of showcasing his ability; finally, the rhythmic patterns provided by Chris Haren’s drums and Jesse Keen’s bass provide variation and avoid being boring, but without getting abstruse or hard to follow. The songs are well designed to stand out individually while giving a cohesive yet not flat ensemble, with only a couple of unremarkable episodes. Some of them venture into more progressive territories, while others exploit old formulas by taking and performing them at their best. The opener, “The Day I Die”, is a true killer track that immediately sticks the listener to the record by providing variety and freshness, filling each of its 8 minutes with something worth its length. With its jazzy guitars and soulish keyboards, it’s an immediate statement: this record is not going to sound like the same old stuff. The second track, “The Night Witch”, is a perfect example of old formulas used in a clever way: it opens with a creepy keyboard melody that manages to avoid sounding clichéd despite its music box flavour, which quickly makes room to a catchy hard-rocking tune with a dynamic verse, a really enjoyable and memorable chorus and a praiseworthy guitar solo. The next songs, “Kill That Bitch” and “Murderous Horde”, confirm the high level of this record, the former with a distinctive hard-rocking sound powered by a simple yet interesting rythmic pattern, the latter with haunting backing vocals that make it sound cinematic, but without overdoing. The eponymous “A Sound of Thunder” showcases the band’s power metal influences in a non-garish way, despite the agressive vocals being a bit annoying at times. Unfortunately, the experiment is not equally successful with the title track, “Out of the Darkness”, whose tacky outright power metal structure, which includes pretty much all the most annoying clichés of the genre without anything diverse to dilute them, makes it the least remarkable song of the album. Generally speaking, this song marks the beginning of the second half of the album, which is slightly duller than the previous despite having its memorable episodes. For instance, the clearly gothic-influenced, a bit clichéd intro of the eight-minute long “Calat Alhambra” may seem pointless, but it works perfectly as a cheesy appetizer that lowers the listener’s expectations to surprise him with a complex, enjoyable and outstanding song. Nevertheless, the subsequent “Fight Until the End” is a rather canonical heavy metal anthem which, despite not being bad, does not add any particular value to the record. Although occasionally skimming over cheesiness, the semi-acoustic guitar and cello-driven “This Too Shall Pass” avoids being a random ballad thrown in just to have a slow song in the bunch and manages to sound, all in all, genuine. It also sets the mood for the sophisticated conclusion of the album: the longest track of the set, “Discovery” summarizes the whole album, giving an insight of all the different elements that make this record stand out and going down smooth despite its length. Besides the technical skills of the musicians, the real strength of this album is a solid songwriting that blends a whole host of influences, something that’s further emphasized by the fact that the only missteps in the album are those two songs that cling to a particular genre without providing variety. “Out of the Darkness” is a rich kaleidoscope that manages to add flavour to classic hard rock and heavy metal, bring some freshness to gothic and power metal elements and present progressive metal in an easily listenable fashion. It’s designed to satisfy fans of many different genres without scaring them with unfamiliar elements, but does so in a genuine, non-calculated way which, together with the uniqueness A Sound of Thunder proved to have, is the only true strength a band can rely on today.
Rating - 80/100
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Label : Cruz del Sur Music/High Roller Records/Iron Kodex Records
Review by Stina
On some occasions, live albums/DVDs might tend to mark certain – hopefully memorable – circumstances: relevant anniversaries, for example, or maybe a special performance in a significant venue. While Heaven Wept’s first live package – a CD/DVD 2 disc set released via Cruz Del Sur Music on November 8th, 2010 in a quantity of 3000 copies, plus an additional, limited edition 2LP set released through a joint collaboration between Cruz Del Sur Music, High Roller Records and Iron Kodex Records in a quantity of 1000 copies, including a poster, insert and housed in heavy gatefold sleeve – adheres to any of the aforementioned criteria yet it is not truly any of the above. A document of a band in their 20th year, and – and as far as locations go, recorded during the band’s appearance at Hammer of Doom festival, in Germany, the real purpose of this release is better explained in the words of primary writer and overall engine of the band, mainman Tom Philips: “The philosophy behind this release is twofold; first, it is an expression of our gratitude to everyone who attended the show – who made it such a special, unforgettable experience for us. Secondly, being that there are many places that WHW would like to perform, but we’ve yet to reach, hopefully this will hold those waiting over until we can broker a deal to appear in your city, in person”. “Triumph:Tragedy:Transcendence” might not capture the most extensive live set ever performed (a total of seven tracks, plus the usual bonus material including rehearsal films, a 20-minute interview and three additional live versions of songs already played in the Hammer of Doom show), but it does surely make up for that detail, as it reaches as far back as the band’s 1998 debut “Sorrow of the Angels”, bringing together a nice collection that spans all the band’s releases, much to the fans’ pleasure. This renders the result not just a cobbled-together, fans-only collector’s item, but also an overall enjoyable work, and even an excellent introduction to the legendary Doom act from Virginia, also thanks to the excellent quality of the performance, both sound-wise and also technically. Covering an expanse of nuances from the serene and celestial to the epic and raging and a kaleidoscopic plethora of dispositions in-between due to the reason mentioned above (as anyone who’s familiar with the discography of WHW is able to testify), “Triumph:Tragedy:Transcendence” showcases a jaw-dropping interplay between the musicians that’s remarkably fluid, perfectly coordinated and crystal clear – individual contributions are outstandingly discernible and the atmosphere created by the synths of Michelle Schrotz (the lady of the band, with whom she has recently parted ways – only on a temporary basis, thankfully – due to maternity reasons), who is also responsible for the harmonized female vocals, coat the execution of the songs in a chilling but soothing fashion. This live release has mostly been criticized for its coldness (most of the audience’s reaction is silenced, which gives an impeccable but a bit studio-like feel to the overall performance) but the presence of this flaw which the reviewer only perceives as minor should be let get in the way of the validity of the work. Sure, While Heaven Wept may not have invented melody-infused Epic Doom, but they sure have put an indelible stamp on it over the last twenty years – which means two things: first and foremost, any fan of the band would better grab a copy of this live release, and secondly, if you, reader, are yet to investigate the soundscapes of this fine femme-related band, don’t you think the time is now?
Rating - 80/100
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