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 : Fono LTD
Review by Vard Aman
RabieS (the band… with a capital S – they asked me really nicely) comes from Magnitogorsk in the Chelyabinsk Region in Russia, at the extreme Southern end of the Ural Mountains. OK, that’s enough geography, onto a bit of science and etymology. Most people know rabies as the name of a disease, and it is one of the most unpleasant and fatal diseases known; but RabieS have taken their name not from the disease but rather from the origin of the word itself, which is Latin for “madness” or “fury” (the name of the disease obviously has the same origin). They formed in 2006, and “Kaplya v Beskonechnost” is their debut offering – and what a pleasant debut it is! RabieS play some highly accomplished and beautifully constructed Symphonic Operatic Metal – of the kind that is going to make musical comparisons with Tarja-era Nightwish, I’m afraid, inevitable. Comparisons in quality at least I think are fully justified; but RabieS comes from Magnitogorsk in Russia while Nightwish comes from the Metal Capital of the World and Nightwish are also one of the pioneers of this sound. (I do think though that RabieS has a better and prettier singer than Tarja-era Nightwish did. There! I said it! Bring on the hate mail!).
Vladislava has a beautiful and rich operatic soprano voice, and her vocals provide the highlight of this release… most of the time at least. At the middle and higher end of her range she is awesome (and even more so when she harmonizes… wow!) but on lower notes it sometimes sounds like she is straining just a little and in one or two places the result is that her normally beautifully flowing voice gives way to… I’m not sure what it’s called so I’m going to give it my own name – “alarmed hen syndrome”. She still hits the notes perfectly but something just doesn’t feel right. It might also be a consequence of an operatic style not being quite suited to that particular part of the song – perhaps in the parts in question, a normal singing style would have been better suited (and as a bonus might also have served to give the operatic parts more impact when they came in, especially when the operatic vocals are of such outstanding quality as Vladislava’s are). Still, those moments are few and far between, and most of the time her vocals are right up there among the most beautiful, flowing operatic vocals that I’ve heard from an operatic singer in Metal; and her voice suits the music perfectly. Turning our attention to the rest of the band and the production, the performance and the song writing is really good. The songs are not overly complex and succeed in creating the kinds of feelings and emotions through the sound and the melodies that they should. The songs are also catchy – 3 days after hearing the single “Vozvrascheniye” (and watching the video) for the first time I found myself humming the chorus to myself.
Occasional male vocals and growls are provided by the keyboardist Eduard. The kick drum could have used a little more low-end EQ (and/or a little less high-end EQ) in the mix, but that isn’t too much of an issue. The album is also quite short by today’s standards: 9 songs (including the bonus track) at just over 32 minutes but this is not a bad thing at all. The songs are all equally good, there are no fillers, and when the album ended I found myself feeling both very satisfied by what I had heard and wanting more at the same time. Bands that try to make long albums just for the sake of making a long album (““we have the time, let’s use it”) often fail to have this effect. Credit must go to RabieS for avoiding this temptation… although, that said, perhaps one or two more songs on this album certainly would not have hurt. Or you can just listen to the album again, like I did, and like I have done several times since and will do again. “Kaplya v Beskonechnost” is a good debut indeed, but there are a few minor creases that I think the band needs to iron out for the next one; and if they do, the next one should be even better. So, with that, I strongly recommend getting RabieS! I’ve got RabieS and I’m enjoying every minute of it!
Rating - 85/100
Tracklist
Line Up
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Interview by Marc “Peston” Sels
Yawarhiem is a power/gothic band from Lima, Peru. I don’t know much about this band, therefore this interview with leadvocalist Aurora D’Nina, a soprano voice of the Andes.
Can you tell us a little about Yawarhiem? (History, releases…)
Well, Yawarhiem has been formed in 2005 and since that year we have been working hard to express musically, and through each song, our Inca’s history that has been adapted by J. Miguel, contribute to our own mystified characters. In 2006 we launced our first demo with the song “Darkness, Blood & Tears”, that convert us as the revelation power metal band of the year, reviews in international webzines, interviews with one of the most famous and old rock radio’s (Radio doble 9 - a Peruvian local station), concerts in Lima and provinces (Ayacucho, Cerro de Pasco) among others. At the end of the same year began the recording session of “The Rebirth of the Empire”, our cd that was launched in July 2009.
What means Yawarhiem?
Yawarhiem means Winter’s blood. The bandname was formed from two representative’s mother languages: Quechua (Yawar) what is our Peruvian mother’s tongue and Latin (Hiem) as the first worldwide language.
Can you introduce the bandmembers to us?
The band’s current line-up is : J.Miguel Brendal - Vocals & Wind, Richie Salverredy - Keyboards, Oscar Martin - Guitars, Eddy Geott - Bass, Julio German - Drums and me, Aurora D’Nina - Soprano Vocals.
How is the metal-scene over there in Peru? Are there any interesting bands?
The metal-scene is much reduced. We say reduced because here as a metal musician you do not get enough private moneysupport for planning a good concert or a big one. Here you can just find a few bands that are trying hard to stay playing concerts around Lima or in provinces, many times without the minimum requires that one band needs to play well on stage, but despite the fact, they still are playing because the metal essence is bigger than those inconveniences or that kind of limitation, and because of what a real musician does : just looking to spread and share their musical art with the fans. Of course, here in Peru you can find really good bands that would love to have more opportunities to play here in Lima, provinces and abroad, and some of them also are looking to find a way to record their music.
What are your musical influences, heroes, favorite cd’s…?
Well, my musical influence comes from the classical music, from opera to jazz, bossa nova and the power metal music. Heroes, no one yet. My favorite cd’s are “Rain of a Thousand Flames” by Rhapsody of Fire, “Oceanborn” from Nightwish, “King of the Nordic Twilight” from Luca Turilli, amongst others.
Peru has been living in some kind of civil war between the government and Sendero Luminoso. Did this had any influence on the metal scene? And life in common?
I think, of course, that it had a macro impact, because it was something that affects the civil population and had consequences in the political and economical fields and one could say that it influenced the working class (including musicians) as human beings, living in that situation. I can not specify how I was influenced, because I was a little kid in those times.
Most of the songs handle about old history, mythology etc… Have you got a theory about Nazca?
The lyrics from the music we make is based on the Inca history…from my personal point of view of course, there are many theories about the Nazca lines, and one of them (for me), is that aliens could build it up with a special meaning everytime to remind them every time they come back.
A lot of bands are more respected outside their land than in their homeland. How is it with Yawarhiem?
What do you mean with respected…is it like recognized? Well we are well being recognized in Peru, with lots of positive critics, fan support and since we’ve launched the cd (July 30,2009) for the national market, we have received new local media opportunities where we have done interviews with the most important newspaper (Diaro El Comercio), interviews at one of the newest radiostations (Radio Capital) and at an old one (Radio Miraflores). We have recorded our second videoclip thanks to a local metal online support (Motor-Rock). And this support is what we value because the print and online promotion helps us to reach a more national and international audience, and we are grateful for it.
How was “The Rebirth of the Empire” developed? Did it took a lot of time?
The content of “The Rebirth of the Empire” was developed in the lapse of time around one year and a half. The recording and mastering took around two years; yes it took a lot of time to finish this work. You know that in the path to get the final sound (after the intense record-sessions) the most delicate and hard to define is to get the sound you have been keeping in your head as a final result. But at the end of this part it was a relief to see that the time we spent recording as a band (full days and nights) was worth it. We are satisfied with it.
Have you got regular jobs? (I don’t think you can survive as musicians)
Yes, of course, but for us the band is part of our ‘regular job’, because we are constantly thinking about new ways and things to contribute to the band with new arrangements, ideas etc..
Do you think the internet and webzines can help you to gain a bigger audience?
Yes I do. Nowadays it is one of the most important and efficient free tools to reach a worldwide audience.
And at last, any last thoughts?
Yes, we encourage all the musicians of the world to make the promise to spread their music as far and as long as they can, because music is the strongest worldwide language that keeps the soul of the world alive. Thanks for the interview. Good vibes and best regards to FemmeMetal.
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Interview by Matteo Bussotti
We have listened to their latest album, “Terra Incognita”, and we liked it. Now we are ready and pleased to interview Coronatus’ two singers: Ada and Mareike. Maybe not everyone of you knows Coronatus, but they are “on the road” from a very long time, and they surely have a lot to say, even after 11 years of making music! So, let’s hear from Ada and Mareike how the band sees their latest album, their fans, and their career!
Hello Ada and Mareike, and welcome to Femme Metal! You are currently on tour promoting your latest album, “Terra Incognita”. We know also this album came out after some difficult times and some line-up changes. How do you feel now that you’ve finally reached some stability? Are you satisfied with your album?
We feel good about having some stability, so you can rely on each other, so you can make future plans. Stability is also the reason why especially this album is our best so far. We’re very satisfied with it as it shows how we have developed over the years.
“Terra Incognita” stands as a turning point in your production, due to the aforementioned changes of line-up. What was your attitude towards this album? In which ways you wanted to impress your fans? What you’d like to improve even more, or what, among the things you have accomplished, surprised you in a very positive way?
We wanted to present our fans a new kind of music, which had been affected by the introduction of our new band members and their musical background and interests. It’s always interesting to see how our different styles merge. We’re pretty sure that our next album will be different again, as we constantly develop.
Ada, you are the “newest” member of Coronatus. How do you feel? Do you feel you have changed (in a positive way, of course) the band’s style in some way, with your personal way of singing?
I’m actually not the newest member, as I had been a part of the band before, recording “Porta Obscura”, having the part of the rock voice. Of course I have changed our style, as I don’t sing as “classic” as Carmen did. Above, I feel like our two voices fit together perfectly.
Also you Mareike, you entered in Coronatus in 2010, after 11 eleven years from its foundation. In the beginning, did you feel any kind of “weight” on your shoulders, being in such an important band?
In the beginning it wasn’t easy. I knew I had a very important part and that other great singers have had the part before. But I also felt very welcome from the beginning, so it didn’t take me long to feel “home” with Coronatus.
Who usually writes the lyrics in the band, and how do you part them? I mean, when do you decide who’ll sing what? Is it decided when you’re writing the lyrics, or do you decide it later?
There is no one in particular writing our lyrics, every one of us is free to write some. Often there are two roles to be taken on anyway and while writing the songs, we already have an idea of who might sing what part.
How do you find singing in latin? Why choosing also this language?
Latin, of course, is a lot harder for us to sing and it’s difficult to remember the lyrics on stage, as none of us really speaks latin. Still, we find it sounds great. Singing in Latin sounds sublime, and we think it as well represents our songs’ character.
What influenced you the most in your way of singing?
I think we both were influenced by lots of different artists, adding diversity to the way we sing. However, it was always important to us to create our own style of singing without imitating other singers. Mareike sang a lot of Jazz music, so you should never limit yourself to only one style of music.
Moreover, do you work well together? How do you influence and improve each other?
I think we make up a pretty good team, as we had to work on a lot of songs in a very short time and found a way to complement each other. It’s actually fascinating how well our voices work together as we have a similar way of phrasing.
Talking about your musical style, which reunites metal, gothic, symphonic and also folk (in a very beautiful way, I have to say), as in “Fernes Land”: how did you come up with this style? Is the “folk part” there to celebrate the roots of your land, its past?
That’s pretty much what it was meant to stand for. In addition to that this kind of music is just great fun to play on stage.
What do you think about the others band members?
They’re all idiots. Haha. Just joking. We’re all very different kinds of persons but on the other hand we have gone through so much while touring and recording, so we have grown together a lot.
How was touring with Haggard? What have you learned from this experience, which confirmed you as one of the most interesting bands in Germany’s music scenario?
Touring with Haggard was great fun and it was amazing to be on stage with them. Sure, it was exhausting, touring is really tough. You get no sleep, you’re always on the road, so it’s not always easy to be a musician. But alltogether we really appreciated the opportunity to be on tour with such a great band and also our fans were a great support.
You have an active Facebook page and all of you have your own Facebook profile. What do you think about social networks? In what ways they improve the relationship between musicians and their fans, and in what ways, instead, do they make it worse?
Nowadays, social networks are more than an essential part for musicians and it’s the easiest way to communicate with our fans all over the world. Our fans can really take a part in our private lives, which had not been the case before. They know what we’re doing and are able to directly contact us. We also get a lot more feedback concerning our album, video or concerts, so we can also respond to that much faster. Sure, it’s a lot of work, we didn’t have to face before, because the page has to be updated a lot.
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Label : My Funeral Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Italy’s Inner Shrine have a history that begins in 1995. Even though they are in their fifteenth year of existance, information on them on the Internet is scarce. The two main members of Inner Shrine are Luca Liotti and Leonardo Moretti. For their just released fourth full-length release, “Mediceo” they have been joined by the operatic vocals of Cecilia Boninsegni. Musically, Inner Shrine play a mix of Gothic, Renaissance, Classical, Opera and Metal to create a unique blend that can be heard on “Mediceo”. “Mediceo” is a concept album based on the history of the city of Florence and the power of the Mediceo family that ruled the city for centuries. All the lyrics are written in ancient Latin and the songs contain big sounding chanting and choir-like choruses. Cecilia Boninsegni’s soprano vocals are quite powerful and definitely helps to bring the music and songs to life. The music veers off into different directions and avenues, as the listener is swept away into the music and story that is being told. Even though “Mediceo” features only 8-songs and 34-minutes worth of music, there is a lot to digest here. Inner Shrine are quite an interesting and adventurous band to listen to and are sure to be an acquired taste, but there is no denying the talent and ability of this Italian band. Inner Shrine are a difficult band to describe, but they are one of the more interesting band’s I have encountered in quite some time.
Rating - 75/100
Tracklist
Line Up
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