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.
The only thing that you can be sure of with Ukrainian Alternative Progressive metal band Marvel is that you never get bored ‘cause “anything they release will be totally different to anything they have released before”. For being such a quite young band they “play by their own rules” and “never limited themselves to any one style”. We have previously talked about this band with the EP review of “Reduce My Pain” and the following single “Naiti Sebya” and the main difference that our reviewer Vard Aman can recognize is that “Olga Skripova‘s vocals have been somewhat “tamed” in comparison to the rest of the band so she is now less of a driving force and more of a riding /guiding force” and in comparison to the previous releases “Black Stone” EP features “complex driving rhythms with subtle experimentation”. If we want to find a flaw to this release is about its shortness as complains Vard “however, could perhaps have benefited from an extra song or two” but this is not a good reason to not check out this band.
(via Marvel – “Black Stone” EP (2013) « Femme Metal Webzine)
We have interviewed, not so much time ago, their singer Olga Salikhova and today we have blogged about their upcoming new album, I think the only thing that was missing was the review of their fourth album “Songs of Black Roses” by Russian Gothic Doom metallers Voiceless Void that for the truth, it didn’t fully satisfied Luisa because is “nicely played but something is missing. That idea that makes you say: “this is actually very good!””. Are you a uber-super gothic doom metal fan? If yes, is totally suitable for you. Read the whole review in the link below
(via Voiceless Void – “Song of Black Roses”(2010) « Femme Metal Webzine)
A special and in depth interview with Olga Salikhova, a veteran singer in the Russian underground. Currently she sings in the Doom metal band Voiceless Void and the progressive rock band Core but in the past years, since her teens, she was member in countless Russian bands like Slavery and Oktagon. But her remarkable breakthrough was in the Gothic band Luna Aeterna which recorded and published in 2007 the appreciated debut album “Taina” (“Mystery”), after the publication she left the band but seems that in the future there will be a possible reunion (like happened for her birthday). So are you into the Russian underground? If yes, you MUST check out and spam this interview. Only for true connoisseurs! (via Olga Salikhova – Slavery, Oktagon, Luna Aeterna, Core & Voiceless Void « Femme Metal Webzine)
Independent Releases
Review by Vard Aman
Delia, and now Marvel – Kiev, Ukraine, seems to be holding onto some real gems currently, that’s for sure! Marvel formed in 2006, and released their debut album, “V Kazhdom iz Nas” (which at the time of writing this review I had not yet heard) in 2010. In early 2011 they released two versions of a new EP “Reduce My Pain” (in English) and “Ona” (in Russian – meaning “She”); and at the end of 2011, their new single “Naiti Sebya” (meaning “Find Yourself”). Marvel describe their music as being Alternative Rock, which is a pretty broad description but probably a good one as Marvel’s musical style going by their EP and single is a very hard one to categorize. There is a very strong Metal element in their music as well, in fact, considerably more so than many of the bands out there who do claim to be some kind of Metal (usually in the guise of Modern Metal or Nu-metal). Marvel are honest and true to themselves. They play the music they want to play. They’re Marvel. So, with that, let’s stop talking about what they play and concentrate on how well they play it instead – which is very well indeed! “Reduce My Pain” consists of 3 tracks. All 3 are very well written and arranged and very well preformed and produced (and really catchy – they’ve been dominating the in-my-head playlist for a while now, and I’m certainly not complaining). Vocalist, Olga Skripova, makes use of a perfect combination of power and control, and she uses her voice not just really well, but wisely too. Her voice is the dominant feature but compliments the music perfectly – displaying an amazing talent but never forgetting that she’s part of a band. This to me is the hallmark of a really great vocalist – which Olga most certainly is (whether you share my opinion on hallmarks or not – listen and you’ll hear). “Tantra” is the first track and has a feel to it that the song title suggests. It’s also the most uptempo song on the EP but with measured changes that lays the platform for the next 2 tracks. One criticism I do have of “Tantra” is the use of a distortion effect on some of the vocals – I don’t think the effect really adds anything to the sound other than give it a slightly industrial feel (what for?) and I think that anything that excessively masks a voice like Olga’s is really taking something away rather than adding something. Other than that one small criticism it is a really good track. The next 2 tracks, “Reduce My Pain” and “My Own Passion” are the real highlights of the EP. They are both intense and powerful songs, and superbly (and intricately) written. They are a musical journey full of rises and falls; nadirs and zeniths; calm serenity building into brutal crescendos and falling again… all within 8 minutes (12 if you count “Tantra”). There is no central lyrical concept connecting all 3 tracks, but musically it does feel as if there is – and Marvel could not have done a better job of it had this actually been their intention (or maybe it was). That said; perhaps it is a good thing then that this is just a 3 track EP. Had it been longer, might the effect of its impact have been lost? Maybe, or maybe not; but one thing for sure is that while it might be a short musical journey, it is not one that will be forgotten in a hurry. And it’s a journey that makes one want to go back to the beginning and do it all over again… and again… and again….
So what if they had added a fourth track to the EP? Well, just listen to “Naiti Sebya” straight afterwards and find out. Marvel’s musical journey continues. The single is similarly well written to the material on “Reduce My Pain” with all of the musical crests and troughs and interesting extras that seem to typify Marvel’s music. “Naiti Sebya” is slower (in parts) than the material on “Reduce My Pain”; almost a ballad (in parts). The production is a little muddier here compared to the crystal-clear production on the EP but only when compared to the EP (in other words, if you listen to “Naiti Sebya” on it’s own you won’t notice). I’ve listened to both versions of the EP (“Reduce My Pain” and “Ona”) and think that overall I prefer the English version. Olga has a firm grip on the English language and the vocals on the English version seem to flow better than on the Russian version. In this case it is to do with Olga’s lyrics and vocal delivery on the 2 different versions and on the English version she has absolutely nailed it! There is only one version of “Naiti Sebya” – in Russian. Both versions of the EP and “Naiti Sebya” are available for FREE DOWNLOAD from Marvel’s website and I very strongly recommend you head over there, download it and listen to it. (For the Cyrillicly impaired: Скачать = download. Go to the Музыка tab to find “Reduce My Pain”). You’ll be very glad you did, and there is something here for everyone. I tried all review to resist the temptation to put it this way but in the end I had to give in: Marvel are just, well, marvellous!
Rating - 95/100
Tracklist
“Reduce My Pain” EP
“Naiti Sebya” SINGLE
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Label : Irond LTD/Black Tower Productions
Review By Tony Cannella
The Russian Folk Metal band Anabioz has been in existence since 2003. They released their full-length debut “Through Darkness” in 2008 and have now returned with their newest album “…to Light”. Anabioz features the duel male/female vocals of Anton and Olga (she contributes violin as well). The violin dominated instrumental title track gets things going and segues into “Good Ale, Strong Ale”. “There the River Sings” is a mid-tempo number with some softer moments. The vocals are split pretty evenly throughout the 11-song, 62-minute disc. At almost 9-minutes long, “Fires of War” is a big sweeping epic and one of the highlights for me. Other highlights include: “Brotherhearts”, “Hunt For Hunter”, “Demon’s Circle” and “Feeling The Rain”. Male vocalist Daimon offers a Death Metal style, while Olga counters with her high pitch, almost operatic delivery to present us with completely contrasting styles. The music is brutally heavy at times and at others beautiful with the violin also being used as a main instrument. The genre of Folk Metal has really continued to grow and flourish, thanks to bands like Anabioz who continue to raise the level of Folk Metal on “…to Light”.
Rating – 87/100
Tracklist
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