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

Femme Metal Webzine
posted 1 year ago

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

Noxiferis are a new Gothic/Progressive metal entity from Poland. This 5-member band has just issued their new demo and I have say that “Signum Noctis” proved to be a worthwhile and enjoyable listen. First thing that is quite obviously from the get-go is that the songs on “Signum Noctis” are sung in Polish. The CD includes 7-songs and a playing time of just over 45-minutes. Noxiferis mixes standard 4 and 5 minute songs with more epic type 7 and 8 minute numbers. There are certainly some heavy guitar riffs, lots of intricate musicianship and melodies. The lead vocals are handled by Eydis, who does a remarkable job giving the songs a semi-operatic touch. I have to say that one of the biggest highlights for me was the 9-minute instrumental “Mrok”. On this track, the band has delivered a complex and interesting instrumental. “Signum Noctis” is a great offering from Noxiferis. Even though this is a demo, it has the look, feel and presentation of a professional release.“Signum Noctis” is available for a free download on the band’s official My Space profile.

Rating – 89/100

Tracklist 

  1. Alea Lacta Est
  2. Enfer
  3. Alabaster
  4. Wojna Królów
  5. Mrok
  6. Zycie Wieczne
  7. Miecz Szalenstwa I Tajemnicy

Line Up

  • Eydis - Vocals
  • Utis - Guitars
  • Nicram - Guitars
  • Vladiv - Keyboards & Programming
  • Kristof - Bass

Links

MySpace * Site

posted 1 year ago

Label : My Kingdom Music 

Review by Tony Cannella

Finland’s In Silentio Noctis have been in existence since 2006. With their debut effort, “Through Fragments of Christianity”, these Finns show off their brand of very intense symphonic Black Metal. The band are fronted by Armi Päivinen and although the accompanying music is definitely in the Black Metal area, her style of singing is a lot more clear and clean sounding than your average Black Metal vocalist - there is also no denying the power and range that this woman possesses with her voice. Fans who have already been familiar with In Silentio Noctis I’m sure are aware that the band put out a 3-song demo in 2007 titled “Symphonies of Death”. Those three songs appear on “Through Fragments of Christianity”, they are “From Beyond”, “Funereal Verses” and “Portrait of a Devil”. The CD begins with the 3-minute horror movie inspired intro track “Blood of the Sacred…”. Definitely a big symphony vibe is on display here before segueing into the ultra fierce “Libre Satanas”. Upon first listen, this song really caught me off guard. It opens with some very dark, heavy music and when Armi’s vocals come in, you immediately notice the stark contrast between her vocals and the music. That is one of the things that I really loved about this CD and one of the definite strengths of the band, in my opinion. The next track “From Beyond” offers no respite. Definitely, one of the better tracks offered up here. Track three “Divinity” brings the heaviness and aggression up a notch, before it settles into a mid-tempo groove, but there are so many tempo and mood changes in this song that it is possible to pick out new bits that you might have missed every time you hear it. Other highlights include: “Advocatus Diaboli”, “Cursed” and the closing two tracks “Sinner’s Lament” and “Signum Crucis” bring this opus to mesmerizing conclusion. “Through Fragments of Destiny” is a powerful debut from In Silentio Noctis. The CD is heavy and ferocious while still managing to be melodic and - at times - quite beautiful and artistic. In Silentio Noctis are a band that can definitely appeal to die-hards and casual BM fans. Quite simply, “Through Fragments of Christianity” gets better and better with each listen

Rating - 90/100

Tracklist

  1. Blood of the Sacred…
  2. Libre Satanas
  3. From Beyond
  4. Divinity
  5. Advocatus Diaboli
  6. Funereal Verses
  7. Addiction
  8. Portrait of a Devil
  9. …Blood of the Damned
  10. Cursed
  11. Sinner’s Lament
  12. Signum Crucis

Line Up

  • Armi Päivinen - Vocals
  • Elias Vihma - Guitars
  • Toni Taskinen - Guitars
  • Kim Suikkanen - Bass
  • Rainer Tuomikanto - Drums (Session)

Links

MySpace * Facebook

posted 1 year ago

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

Noctiluca are an (almost) all female metal band from Parma, Italy. Actually 3/5 of the band are female, the only male members being bassist Miguel and drummer Nicola. The rest of the line-up looks like this: Stefania (Vocals), Cristina (Guitar), Francesca (Guitar). The band have actually been in existence since 2000, and have previously released a couple of demos. Their full-length debut - just released - is called “Back to the Soul System” and it features 9-songs and 47-minutes worth of some hard driving, melodic metal with various other influences such as gothic and alternative thrown in as well. The opening track is probably my favorite. “Tonight” really delivers a statement straight away. If you’ve never heard this band before this song is an effective attention grabber, with it’s heavy, slow guitar riff that just chugs along and the big vocals of Stefania. She has a mid-range to high voice that is quite impressive. Impressive too are the melodic harmonies that are employed here. As I said this is probably my favorite song, it sets a definite high standard right off-the-bat. Next is the 7-minute “Alice”. It begins with a psychedelic type riff, that is reminiscent of something from the early 70’s, but then the song gets really grooving and Stefania delivers another huge vocal performance. She employs several different ranges here. After the greatness of the first track, this one is not too shabby either. “From Beyond” is next and it begins with some nice slow guitar that sets a definite atmosphere as the breathy vocals of Stefania comes in. This is a slower tempo song than the previous one and it really stands out. Awesome performances all the way around and another great, heavy guitar riff and a great melody. “Escaped” is probably my second favorite track here. With it’s marching and guitar riff that keeps pace, it is a undoubtedly one of the stronger tracks on this disc. The complexity of “Drylands” features some cool temp changes, and “Simplicity” and “There Is a Time” keep things moving along at a nice pace, while the final two tracks “Home” and “Rebecca” end this disc in style. Overall “Back to the Soul System” by Noctiluca is an impressive first impression. I had never heard of this Italian band before but I was pleasantly surprised upon putting the CD in my player. The songs are well written and the band deliver solid performances throughout. Italy continues to produce great bands, but Noctiluca definitely has the potential and the style to stand out from the pack.

Rating - 80/100

Tracklist 

  1. Tonight
  2. Alice
  3. From Beyond
  4. Escaped
  5. Drylands
  6. Simplicity
  7. There Is a Time
  8. Home
  9. Rebecca

Line Up

  • Stefania Pelosi - Vocals
  • Francesca Calzolari - Guitar
  • Cristina Restani - Guitars
  • Miguel Ferrigno - Bass
  • Nicola Corradi - Drums 

Links

MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook

posted 1 year ago

Label: Black Fading Records

Review By Tony Cannella

Italy’s Domina Noctis have existed since 1999. They play a melodic brand of gothic metal and they have just issued their second full-length CD titled “Second Rose”. The band line-up looks like this: Edera (Vocals), Asher (Guitars), Azog (Bass), Ruyen (Keyboards) and Nicola Corradi (Drums). Getting right into it with the opening track “Electric Dragonfly”. A solid opener that gets us off and running. “Untold” is next and is another solid track. “Into Hades” is next and is really one of the many highlights. Just a melodic metal masterpiece that is really well written and well produced. The biggest surprise is their version of the Patti Smith 70’s rock classic “Because the Night”. This has always been a great song and Domina Noctis have done a great version of the song in their own style. It works really well and is a great addition to their repertoire. The vocals of Edera are strong and a perfect fit for the band and the melodies are so damn infectious that you have to give them the due. “Lamia” is next and is another highpoint and it features a cool guitar riff and the soaring vocals of Edera. Other highlights include: “Sisters in Melancholy”, “Broken Flowers” and “The Mask”. Italy has produced another fine band. Domina Noctis are a band that has all of the ingredients to make their mark in the metal realm. Second Rose” is a bold statement from a band who I am sure will be heard from in the future. Domina Noctis are described as a goth band and I will admit to not even being sure what constitutes a goth band these days. Just because they have a female singer, does that make them a goth band? Not in my opinion. Sure I suppose there are those qualities included in some of the songs onSecond Rose” but the beauty of this CD and band is that it should be able to appeal to wide range of metal fans if given the chance. Overall quite an impressive CD and band.

Rating - 85/100

Tracklist

  1. Electric Dragonfly
  2. Untold
  3. Into Hades
  4. Because the Night
  5. Lamia
  6. Sisters in Melancholy
  7. Broken Flowers
  8. Exile
  9. The Mask
  10. Bang Bang (Bonus Track)

Line Up

  • Edera - Vocals
  • Asher - Guitars
  • Ruyen - Keyboards
  • Azog - Bass
  • Niko - Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site

posted 1 year ago

Label : Massacre Records

Review by Mortuai

So, what’s better for the femme metal lover than a talented band with an excellent female vocalist on the microphone? How about one with two excellent female vocalists? Cue “Porta Obscura” (“Dark Gate” in Latin), the sophomore release from Germany’s Coronatus (“Crowned” in Latin), an album which has been labelled as “gothic metal”, though I find it to be a lot closer to straight symphonic metal with elements of power metal, Celtic/pagan metal, and even a few hints of melodic black metal here and there. The two vocalists complement each other nicely, with classical soprano vocalist Carmen R. Schäfer’s gorgeous soaring lines still holding the lion’s share of the mix over Ada Flechtner’s melodic rock-oriented stylistics but overall it seems a bit more balanced than on the band’s debut album “Lux Noctis” (“Night Light” in Latin), where Schäfer seemed more dominant. As you might guess from all the Latin titles, Coronatus obviously likes variety in their choice of language delivery, belting out songs in English, German, and Latin - sometimes alternating between one or the other in the same song and always sounding equally comfortable no matter what tongue they’re using at the moment. On the one hand, it’s great for variety, but on the other hand, it’s a little confusing for me when I have no idea what they’re singing. Musically, as I mentioned before, this so-called “goth metal” band is anything but. Guitar riffing is razor-sharp, heavy, and crunch-laden, no doubt at least partially due to the presence of new second guitarist Johann Frey - who the bio sheet claims is a member of a prominent black metal band, though which one is not identified. Drumming is likewise excellent…which isn’t surprising given Mats Kurth was until recently also the drummer for black metal act Lyfthrasyr. Keyboards, piano, and synth choirs are prevalent but never overwhelming. Production is very good - personally, I would’ve preferred it if the guitar and bass tones had been a little bit heavier - particularly on the moments when the rest of the band drops out to allow a bass fill here and there - but otherwise it’s solid stuff. Again, one thing anyone seeing the term “goth” associated with this group might be surprised by is the overall upbeat feel of most of the songs. Tracks like “Mein Herz” (“My Heart”) and “Cast My Spell” are instantly stick-in-your-head catchy…particularly the former, which has ‘concert singalong’ written all over it, while cuts like “Exitus” and “In Silence” are flat-out symphonic power metal (minus the guitar solos, unfortunately - not a one to be found on the album). “Am Kreuz” (“At The Cross”) combines symphonic power metal sound with Celtic influences, a couple cuts like “Beauty in Black” feature bursts of melodic black metal riffage, and the explosive and accordian-laden (no, seriously) “Der Vierte Reiter” (“The Fourth Rider”) sounds a good deal like what you’d expect to get if you put female vocalists at the helm of Finntroll. In a way, it’s hilarious and ridiculous, and yet somehow they make it work really well. Despite the style shifts prevalent throughout, all in all, Coronatus is really just doing variations on a theme here - their style can be clearly traced back to a number of well-established acts…“Wishmaster”-era Nightwish is fairly clear in quite a few of the tracks, for example…but they blend enough different influences to keep them from sounding completely derivative of any one particular band. The dual-vocalist approach, well-written and heavy yet melodic music, and lingustic variety keeps “Porta Obscura” interesting and enjoyable from start to finish.

Rating - 80/100

Tracklist

  1. Prologue
  2. Exitus
  3. Fallen
  4. In Silence
  5. Beauty in Black
  6. Cast My Spell
  7. In Your Hands
  8. Mein Herz
  9. Am Kreuz
  10. Der Vierte Reiter

Line Up

  • Carmen R. Schäfer – Vocals
  • Ada Flechtner – Vocals
  • Jo Lang – Guitar
  • Fabian Merkt - Keyboards, Programming
  • Chriz diAnno – Bass
  • Matz Kurth – Drums 

Links

MySpace * Facebook