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 : Psychonaut Records
Review by Luisa Mercier
The Gathering is a band that has got all of the fans quite used to change, evolution from album to album and “Disclosure” makes no exception. After the atmospheric, liquid sounds in “Home”, the catchy, classy rock of “The West Pole” (and the introduction of new singer Silje Wergeland), the Dutch combo is back with an eerie, downtempo, psychedelic record that reminded me of Slowdive and all that music populating the lands of electronic/darkwave/ambient. Guitars have not been forgotten, but they have no a major role in the album. “Disclosure” is opened by “Paper Waves”, a mid-tempo in which electronic and rock mingle creating a lush sound and Silje’s vocals are soft, emotional, a bit melancholic, though not sad. The already known “Meltdown” follows. The opening always reminds me of Muse and alternative/indie rock in general. Male vocals appear (courtesy of ) and the song goes on til it becomes more uptempo and in it has that progressive feeling to it without sounding boring. Silje is fascinating in the bridge, only backed by electronica and a few instruments. And here you are one of my favourite: “Paralyzed” opened by strings and electronic plus sexy Silje. It is a slow, sweet ballad where synths cradle us as sea waves, soft, hypnotic, absolutely oustanding. “Heroes for Ghosts” was releases more than a year ago with a nice video, so most of us already knows the song by heart. It is a long piece where Silje’s vocals shine, especially in the chorus, the music is more an accompaniment, never too intrusive. “Gemini I” is maybe the rockiest of all the songs, the riffs recall those of older works such as “Nighttime Birds” as long as the overall atmosphere. A track that nostalgic fans will appreciate. Back to atmospheric sound in “Missing Season”, another slow song full of melancholic longing but with a pinch of hope. “I Can See Four Miles” is another beautiful highlight (well, the whole album is full of stars, these just stand out a little bit more). As “Paralyzed”, the song is eerie, embraces the listener til half when it becomes more rock, well more post-rock maybe, with strings in the background. The songs finishes after this long instrumental that is connected to “Gemini II”. Unlike part I, this second section is slow-paced, quiet with a strange final part where far away sounds echo, like pipes in the wind. What can I say more? The Gathering never made an album that was similar to the previous one, they always try different things and manage to stay interesting, never boring and catchy. Another masterpiece.
Rating - 90/100
Tracklist
Line Up
Links
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
Tracklist
Line Up
Links
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
Tracklist
Line Up
Links
Label : Spinefarm Records/Universal
Review by Tony Cannella
Ritchie Blackmore, Candice Night and their merry band of minstrels have been spreading the gospel for fine renaissance music since 1997. Who ever thought it would last this long? I sure as heck didn’t but the fact remains that Blackmore’s Night has quietly and steadily built up a strong back catalogue of material that continues with their latest offering “Autumn Sky”. Musically “Autumn Sky” is not really much of a departure from what Blackmore’s Night has been known for. The tandem of Ritchie and Candice Night continues to explore their fascination with Renaissance era music and sounds. Candice Night, in particular has been a huge, integral part of Blackmore’s Night’s sound and evolution – both with her voice and her lyrics. Songs like “Highland”, “Vagabond”, “Journeyman”, “Celluloid Heroes” and “Strawberry Girl” are all strong indeed and continue the tradition that began in 1997 with “Shadow of the Moon”. Of course Ritchie Blackmore is far removed from his days as a guitar virtuoso in such legendary bands as Deep Purple and Rainbow and is fully entrenched in the Renaissance thing. Candice and Ritchie are obviously doing something they enjoy and that comes out loud and clear on “Autumn Sky”.
Rating - 84/100
Tracklist
Line Up
Links
Label : Abstraktsens Productions
Review By Tony Cannella
The style of the French duo known as Life’s Decay is difficult to put a finger on. They play an eclectic mix of Dark Wave, Ambient, with one or two other influences thrown in to create an interesting sound. The band is made up of two members: Alea is the vocalist and Lykwasst does everything else. In listening to their new Cd “Dysrieuses” it is difficult to believe that there are only two members involved, but that is exactly the case. In researching this band, I was very surprised to learn that they have been in existence since 2003 and “Dysrieuses” is actually Life’s Decay’s sixth full-length release. Talk about being under the radar. The 12-songs and 45-minutes worth of music on “Dysrieuses” have a very avant-garde feel to them and I am not sure if I have ever heard a band/project such as them before. The majority of the lyrics (which are also written by Alea) are sung in French and the band incorporate some non traditional metal instruments such as accordian and trumpet, which adds to the different feeling you get on this CD. I was really interested in the melancholic nature of some of the songs, such as: “Viversie” (my favorite track), “Eabelia” and “Ambrause”.Life’s Decay are a band will be impossible to nail to one genre or one sub-genre. Even if you are not necessarily a fan of music such as this, you still have to give them their due. “Dysrieuses” can be a challenging CD to listen to at times, but this band is multi-talented and multi-faceted and if given the chance “Dysrieuses” is a Cd that can quite possibly grow on the listener.
Rating - 75/100
Tracklist
Line Up
Links
MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site
Independent Release
Review by Danny Robertson
Chariovalda presents this debut EP. Essentially a solo side-project of Sebas (from the band Heidevolk) who wrote the majority of the music, this EP also features vocal contributions from Iné Zijlstra, from the battle metal group Elexorien, in addition to two other musicians - former Heidevolk violinist Stephanie Achatz, and sometime-Rapalje contributor Eva Marks. The musical output here is a slight departure for those more accustomed to Sebas’ more metal-based material with Heidevolk - whilst still sang entirley in Dutch, this release consists of four tracks of medieval acoustic-folk, heavily influenced by German history and mythology, paganism and nature. So whilst the music itself may be different, the influences behind it are still very much the same. The tracks presented here would be the perfect soundtrack to a medieval battle reenactment!This CD would easily appeal to fans of Heidevolk and the likes of Turisas, or medieval themes and acoustic pagan/folk music, and is a good taster of things to come. The EP is available via Chariovalda’s MySpace site, and at live events featuring Heidevolk, Elexorien or Rapalje.
Rating - 80/100
Tracklist
Line Up
Links
