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 : Grailight Productions
Review by Vard Aman
In Russian: Артания – “Ночь Оденет Тебе Свой Венец” (“Noch Odenet Tebe Svoy Venets”). Formed in 2007, Artania hail from Voronezh in Russia (about 450km South of Moscow) and “Night Shall Crown Ye” is their debut offering. They play some highly accomplished melodic Symphonic Black Metal with all of the right ingredients for fans of this genre to enjoy, and enjoy a lot. Artania are very good at what they do but the originality is somewhat lacking. With this album they seem to have chosen to excel at the tried-and-tested rather than to take the ingredients, mix them up a little and create something new or at least somewhat different. The album is generally well produced and the songwriting and performance are of a very high standard. The guitar work is the stand out feature on the album throughout – intricate, melodic and heavy; perfect for this genre of music. The symphonic elements back up the guitar work well, without ever becoming dominant (this could be a good or bad thing depending on your personal tastes). The drums have suffered a bit in the mix however – they sometimes tend to sound a little ‘typewriter-esque’ in places, especially during some of the blast beats, although not nearly as bad as the ‘typewriter-esque’ drum sound on Cradle of Filth’s “Cruelty and the Beast”. Fortunately the problem is relatively mild, so it does not detract too much from the overall quality of the album, nor from the quality of the drumming which is really good. The lyrics are all in Russian and cover such topics as the works of Aleister Crowley; the prophecies of Nostradamus; Countess Bathory; etc. The tracks are all in fairly similar vein and/so there are no weak songs on the album but there are a few that do stand out from the others: for me they are “Mysteries of the Order of Priorate Zion”; “Liturgy in Black Colours”; and most notably, “Fogs of Witches’ Heath”. The vocals, handled mostly by Vadim (aka “Vad Kaiphas”) are as they should be for this kind of music with plenty of high and low pitched growls. They’re very effective and well delivered, but never really stray into the realm of the demonically awesome (but that may well still come). Backing vocals are provided by the keyboardist Elena (aka “Bathory”), and here is where I think Artania have missed a trick or two. Elena performs a few spoken word passages, some really good soprano vocals (she has a beautiful clear voice) and also possesses a harsh, cold, evil scream which she delivers most prominently on the final track “Secrets of the Moon” but better on “Fogs of Witches’ Heath”. Elena has been severely underutilized on this album! Had her vocal talents been used more extensively, they would have added a really dynamic (and evil in the case of her scream) extra dimension to the music and to the sound of the band – something that would have made Artania really stand out from many of the rest of the bands in this genre. There is a hint of what I mean in “Fogs of Witches’ Heath” where in places the dual vocals create a considerably more intense atmosphere, as opposed to the standard solo, or dual male vocal growls. Hopefully, Artania will realize the potential of what they have at their disposal in time for their next album, and if they do while continuing to develop on what they have done here on their debut, it should to be a mouth watering cracker of a prospect indeed! “Night Shall Crown Ye” is a good melodic Sympho-Black album and is a must have for any fan of this genre. Don’t expect something new, but expect something good. This is a very competent debut from a very competent band, and they have displayed the potential to grow and to rise above the rest of the genre in the future. Artania – you’d do well to keep an eye open for this name!
Rating - 79/100
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Label : Grailight Productions
Review by Vard Aman
Ambehr was founded in Armenia in 1995 and moved to Russia in 1998, first to St. Petersburg and then to Moscow where they are still based. “Amber Dreamland” is their fourth full length studio album. Describing Ambehr’s sound is a no easy task - they are one of the most unique, original and diverse bands around. They play a variety of styles, but none of the styles they play are typical in any way, and yet it all comes together in a sound that is unmistakably Ambehr. Their roots are still noticeably Armenian (providing you know what “Armenian roots” sound like so that you can notice it – otherwise they’ll just be a band unlike any other you would have heard before – which they are anyway). The term “Amber Metal” has been used before, so let’s stick with it. Think Folk Metal mixed with Power Metal mixed with Progressive Metal but not like any of the kinds of Folk, Power and Progressive you’ve ever heard before – now add to it bits of Traditional Metal, Death, Thrash, Glam and Hard Rock. Sorry, I just cannot do better than that – you’re just going to have to buy the album and listen to it yourself. One of the most noticeable elements of Amber Metal is the dual vocal style of Art and Marina. Most of the time they sing together, complimenting or harmonizing with each other, with some occasional solo vocals from one of them. Both vocalists are very accomplished and very versatile, which they’d need to be to pull off this kind of music. Marina’s singing style ranges from folk to operatic soprano, and everything in between; and Art’s from standard clean vocals to a more Power Metal style of singing and to growls… and everything in between. “Amber Dreamland” is a concept album, with all the songs covering the topics of fairy tales and childhood dreams (or their “dreams of Amber Land” as Marina put it in my recent interview with her). All the songs are in English (with an occasional Armenian passage – in “Nothing to Die For”) except for “Garnan Aravot” (“Spring Morning”) which is sung entirely in their native Armenian. The songs are catchy, melodic and generally upbeat – as one would imagine songs about the dreams of Amber Land would be. The production on “Amber Dreamland” is crystal clear and the songwriting is excellent. This album also features some outstanding guitar work (you can substitute “outstanding” with “blazing” or “killer” if you like – you get my drift). All the tracks on “Amber Dreamland” are really good, but the diversity of the music on this album will no doubt mean that everyone who listens to it will pick different favourites. I can mention mine: “Proud Heart”, “Prince”, “Oriental”, “All Goes”, “Garnan Aravot” and most of all, the titletrack – it is the slowest track on the album with almost doom-like progressions and melodies, it creates a slightly brooding retrospective atmosphere but with an almost ecstatic and climatic feel to it. It’s a beautiful piece of music indeed! There is not much more I can really say here, other than that you need to buy this album! It would be a good idea to hunt down their previous releases as well; and their new Russian album “Bezdna” (which was recorded at the same time as “Amber Dreamland”) is due for release in a few months at the time of writing this review.
Rating - 90/100
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Label : Grailight Productions
Review by Tony Cannella
It is time to ratchet up the intensity. Russia’s Torsense plays symphonic Gothic/Death metal or as they describe their sound, Elemental Symphonic Death Metal.That last description is quite fitting, because the bands lyrics deal almost exclusively with the elements and nature. Checking out the song titles on their debut album “World of Harmony Without You” should be a strong indicator as to where their inspiration lies. The beautiful piano, classical style “Intro” kicks off the 39-minute “World of Harmony Without You” and segues into the melodic riffing of “Thunderstorm” before the song kicks into high gear. Male vocalist Evgeniy Ustinov (extreme vocals) and Female singer Evgeniya Rohlova trade off their contrasting vocals to great success. The gloriously chaotic “Dissolution of Ice” continues the frantic pacing. The lyrics are sung in Russian throughout the CD, so these song titles are the translations. I have to say, I was hugely impressed with the level of musicianship that Torsense displays throughout the CD. Songs like “At the Root of Volcano”, “Realm of Avalanches” and “Tornado” are quite intricate whilst still maintaining a brutal and melodic quality.To be honest with you, I have no idea if Torsense even still exists, since any new info on the band is scarce online. It would be a shame if they called it quits because “World of Harmony Without You” is a good debut and one that fans of Melodic Death Metal should gravitate to.
Rating - 83/100
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Label : Grailight Productions
Review by Tony Cannella
From the Ukraine, Mizantropia plays a hybrid of extreme gothic metal, black metal, melodic power, symphonic metal and sprinklings of traditional heavy metal added here and there, got all that? Just issued is their debut album, “Along the Lonesome Alley” and here is a perfect example of a band that totally took me by surprise, in a good way. Mizantropia primarily sings in their native Ukrainian language with bits of English at certain parts throughout the 53-minute album. Lead vocals are shared by Ekaterina Sinegina and Sergey Mushta (who has since left the band) on extreme, screaming vocals. Musically, the songs on “Along the Lonesome Alley” are not as chaotic and brutal as one might think; Mizantropia walks a fine line between heaviness, beautifully structured songs, atmosphere and melody. Ekaterina’s vocals soar right there along with the music and combined with male screamer Sergey Mushta the duo create quite a tandem. Mizantropia were another band that was previously unbeknownst to me. It is great to see some stellar metal coming from such varied parts of the globe. I for one am always happy to sample young and talented bands such as Mizantropia and “Along the Lonesome Alley” had me impressed from the moment I began listening.
Rating – 88/100
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Independent Release/Grailight Productions
Review by Tony Cannella
Rating - 85/100
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