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Webzine dedicated to the metal band fronted by girls. We also like ambient,darkwave,rock & electronic music.

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posted 1 year ago
* Pythia - “Beneath the Veiled Embrace” (2009)
Label: Golden Axe Records
Review By Tony Cannella

From the UK comes Pythia. Their line up feature female vocalist Emily Alice Ovenden. And she is joined by Ross White (Guitar), Tim Neale (guitar), Marc Dyos (drums), Andy Nixon-Corefield (bass) and Richard Holland (keyboards). The music that can be heard on their newest release “Beneath the Veiled Embrace” is extremely melodic and very beautifully crafted progressive power metal with excellent musicianship. “Sweet Cantation” is the opening track and man it just tears through the speakers and delivers a shot of adrenalin that really kick starts this thing. “Sarah (Bury Her)” is next and is a definite highlight and a great choice of single. This is more of a mid-tempo track and is definitely a favorite. “Tristan” keeps things going on the right track. “Ride for Glory” is next and it really ups the heaviness factor. The song has a galloping like feel to it, that gives it a cool atmosphere. The vocals of Emily Alice Ovenden are perfect throughout the CD. She definitely has the talent to emerge as a force in the realm of female fronted metal in 2009 and beyond. “My Pale Prince” begins with a keyboard intro before a great, crunchy and heavy guitar riff joins in. Again Emily’s vocals are quite strong and powerful on this one. The band’s use of keyboards are well done and they give the songs some good atmosphere and a progressive feel. “Eternal Darkness” is just a straight forward, powerful track and another favorite. Other highlights include: “What You Wish for”, “Army of the Damned” and “Oedipus”. “No Compromise” is a great way to close this CD and it really leaves the listener wanting more. Of the 10-songs that are included on “Beneath the Veiled Embrace” there is not one bad song in the bunch. With ”Beneath the Veiled Embrace”, Pythia have issued a powerful, energetic, uncompromising, relentless and absolutely fantastic slice of metal.

Rating - 90/100

Tracklist

  1. Sweet Cantation
  2. Sarah (Bury Her)
  3. Tristan
  4. Ride for Glory
  5. My Pale Prince
  6. Eternal Darkness
  7. What You Wish for
  8. Oedipus
  9. Army of the Damned
  10. No Compromise

Line Up

  • Emily Alice Ovenden - Vocals
  • Ross White – Guitar
  • Tim Neale – Guitar
  • Richard Holland – Keyboards
  • Andy Nixon-Corefield - Bass
  • Marc Dyos – Drums

Links

MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site

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posted 1 year ago
* Industrial/Electronic Realms : Qntal - “Purpurea” (2008)

Label : E-Wave Records/Drakkar Records

Review by Tony Cannella

To say that Germany’s Qntal are a difficult band to describe is an understatement to say the least. The band have been around since the early 90’s and they play electronic, dark wave, ambient, Celtic, folk, avant-garde music, whew, that’s a mouthful. Actually, different people may have different ideas about what genre Qntal lies in. Who’s to say, but I do know that they are a definitely unique band and listening to them is quite the experience. The band have already released six studio albums and with this release “Purpurea” Qntal have put out a compilation of their previous releases, but this is so much more than just a normal compilation. This collection features plenty of music - over 2-hours of music to be precise - spread out over 2-discs. The first disc features 14-tracks of some of the bands best, most groundbreaking songs and the disc 2 is 13-songs worth of various re-mixes and alternate versions of some of their songs. Let’s begin…  “All For One” kicks things off and right away the listener is swept away with the pretty vocals of Syrah. It is also quite obvious that there is something different going on with this band musically. There is a certain aura and atmosphere about this track that makes it an immediate favorite. “Sumer” continues where the first track left off and is a strong continuation. The beat here is a little bit more up-tempo and (dare I say) danceable, but this is another strong track. The next two “Palastinalied” and “Ad Mortem Festinamus” add to the already strong material that can be heard on this collection. “Flamma”, “Nihil” and “Levis” are some more highlights, with the excellent track “Unter Den Linden” bringing disc one to a close. As you can tell by the song titles, many of the Qntal’s lyrics are sung in their native German language. Disc 2 is an excellent companion to disc 1. It features 13-tracks worth of rare, unreleased and re-mixed material from this ground breaking band. It is really a must for this bands die-hard fans. Some of the tracks featured on disc 2 are: “292 (A Darker Shape Mix)”, “Lasse Grand Doucer”, “Unmaere”, “Rose In The Mor” and “Rot”. Overall disc 2 features over 70-minutes worth of music.  When you come right down to it Qntal are a band that may be an acquired taste for some, to be honest, but there is no denying that the band are quite innovative and adventurous. The band have also become quite influential over the years, as evidenced by some of the quotes from their peers that can be found in the CD booklet. Qntal have become an inspiration for musicians who are not afraid to think outside the box when it comes to creating music that is both interesting and different. If nothing else, Qntal are a band to be admired and respected. It is easy to see why they have endured for this one and have acquired such a dedicated fan base.

Rating - 75/100

Tracklist

CD 1

  1. All for One
  2. Sumer
  3. Palästinalied
  4. Ad Mortem Festinamus
  5. Flamma
  6. Nihil
  7. Am Morgen Fruo
  8. Altaz Undaz
  9. Cupido
  10. Departir
  11. Von Der Elben
  12. Entre Moi et Mon Amin
  13. Levis
  14. Under der Linden
CD 2
  1. 292 (A Darker Shape Mix)
  2. Lasse, Grant Doucor
  3. La Froidor (Version Noir)
  4. Glacies (Obscurus Mix)
  5. Veni (Filthy Floor Mix)
  6. Rose in the Mor
  7. Noit et Dia (Candidus Mix)
  8. Unmaere
  9. Rot
  10. Ecce Gratum (Norus Mix)
  11. Ludus
  12. Levis (Half Light Mix)
  13. Slahte Wille (Version Blue)

Line Up

  • Syrah (Sigrid Hausen) – Vocals
  • Micheal Popp –Vocals, Fidel, Saz, Shalmei, Ud & Tar
  • Philipp “Fil” Groth – Keyboards, Vocals, Guitars & Programming 

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site

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posted 1 year ago
* Dunwich - “Heilagmanoth” (2008)

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

I have been reviewing CDs for over ten years and in that time I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to many great bands that I otherwise I would not have the opportunity to hear. Italy’s Dunwich is one such band. According to the bio on their web site this band from Rome have been around since 1985(!), but have only just now come to my attention with their new CD “Heilagmanoth”. Musically, this female fronted band is tough to categorize. They add elements of folk, gothic, medieval, symphonic, orchestral arrangements and metal to create an album that is loaded with atmosphere and takes you on an ethereal musical journey that is breathtaking. “Heilagmanoth” features 12 tracks and 54 minutes worth of music. Half of the songs are song in their native Italian and the rest are sung in English. Their are no gaps or spaces between the songs as they flow into one another. The opening track “Aranmanoth” is an eerie intro that clocks in at about a minute and a half. Complete with keyboard and some weird chanting. It leads us into the next track “La Casa dell’ Alchimista”. One of the many songs sung in Italian, there is so much going on her. Vocalist Francesca Naccarelli shows some great operatic range here. There are some church choir-like background vocals and the song really delivers a big sound. Next, we have “Tales from the Ninth Wave”. This one starts off a bit slower with Francesca bringing it down a bit. In fact, that is one thing that really impresses me about her. Throughout The CD she doesn’t just rely on her operatic talents, she knows when to hold back a bit and do whatever fits the song. Next we have “Guardians of the Threshold”.’ It opens with some cool sounding keyboards supplied by founding member Claudio Nigris and soon accompanied by some nice, serene acoustic guitar. This is a quiet, very pretty song that also features some flute.“Escape from Innsmouth” is just huge sounding, with orchestral arrangement and a rich sounding choir. Another strength of Dunwich is their incorporation of many non-metal type instruments, such as Flutes, harps, string quartets, brass quartets and an absolutely amazing choir. The whole presentation of  “Heilagmanoth”  is so ambitious. The almost 7-minute “Beowulf” is quite possibly the finest moment here. It features some more great musicianship and all around great performances from everyone. This song is very dramatic and emotional. Other highlights include: “Il Falso Principio” (check out the violin solo at the end), “The Flying Fear”, “Leaves On the Altars of the Moon”.’ The one minute outro “Heilagmanoth” bring things to a close. It is a pretty piano piece that is the perfect way to end things. From top to bottom “Heilagmanoth” is one hell of a release. The entire presentation is well done and top notch. The musicianship is great, the production is crystal clear and the CD packaging really is impressive. It comes in a nice digi-pack with beautiful art work and a nice booklet. And then there is the most important thing the songs. Musically, there is a lot going on here and it will take more than one listen to digest everything but once you do that it will be a journey worth taking.

Rating - 100/100

Tracklist

  1. Aranmanoth
  2. La Casa dell’Alchimista
  3. Tales from the Ninth Wave
  4. Guardians of the Threshold
  5. Escape from Innsmouth
  6. Il Falso Principio
  7. Beowulf
  8. The Flying Fear
  9. Absence of Yourself
  10. Leaves of the Altars to the Moon
  11. Terra di Ambra Neve e Fuoco Nero
  12. La Lama, Il Ghiaccio e il Fuoco
  13. Heilgmanoth

Line Up

  • Francesca “Elayne” Naccarelli – Vocals & Lyrics
  • Claudio Nigris – Composer & Keyboards
  • Roberto Fasciani – Bass 
  • Luca Iovieno – Drums  

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Site

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posted 1 year ago
* Arven - Demo (2008)

Independent Release 

Review by Tony Cannella

Hailing from Deutschland, Arven are a six piece (mostly) female band. The one male they feature in their ranks is the drummer Till Felden. The band is completed by Carina Hanselmann (Vocals), Anastacia Schmidt (Guitar), Ines Thome (Guitar), Eva Kreuser (Bass/Vocals) and Lena Yatsula (Keyboards). They have just issued their new 5 song demo. The music featured on the demo is a strong mix of melodic and symphonic metal, that also includes elements of classical and medieval sounding influences. But it all comes together on these 5 songs to make up one of the more impressive demos I have heard in quite some time. The 44 second “Intro” starts things off and leads us into the first track “Ruined Castle”. This song begins with a great heavy and melodic riff that really gets things going in the right direction. Carina comes in with her operatic vocals. This first track also features a great guitar solo. The next song “Music of Light” begins with violin and acoustic guitar but gets heavier around the chorus. Next is “On Flaming Wings”. It is more of a heavier straight forward metal track, with a catchy chorus and an absolutely huge guitar riff. They have saved the best for last with the final track, the 7-minute long “A Strangers Story”. It starts off quietly with some beautiful piano, but then the silence is smashed with the monsterously powerful guitar riff and Carina’s ever enchanting vocals join in. The song slows down in the middle with more piano and a spoken word bit, before the solo comes in. The vocals of Carina Hanselmann are definitely a high point throughout. She’s got great range and skill and is a perfect compliment to the music, but the whole band does a fine job. Arven are a band that should please fans of Tarja era Nightwish and bands of that ilk. There is plenty of great musicianship on display here and some catchy, infectious guitar riffs. The production and quality is also worth noting here. The entire presentation is first rate and very professional sounding. This was one thoroughly enjoyable listen. I hope to hear more from Arven in the future, and judging from this demo, I’m sure I will. If your tastes lie in the realm of symphonic, epic, melodic power metal, then do yourselves a favor and seek this band out . A true gem.

Rating - 85/100

Tracklist

  1. Intro
  2. Ruined Castle
  3. Music of Light
  4. On Flaming Wings
  5. A Stranger’s Story

Line Up

  • Carina Hanselmann – Vocals
  • Anastacia Schmidt – Guitar
  • Inés Thome – Guitar
  • Lena Yatsula - Keyboards
  • Eva Kreuser – Bass, Vocals 
  • Till Felden – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Site