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.
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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Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Following on the heels of their excellent debut, “Cynic Sister”, the powerhouse U.K. trio Le Monnier returns with their sophomore effort, “Russian Doll Life”. I have no idea what the title means either, but I can say that the second Le Monnier album is as potent, infectious and like-able as their first. “Russian Doll Life” comes out of the gate fast and furious with opener “The Beginning”. The riffs come in waves and the unique vocals of Alex Le Monnier lead the way. Next up is the first single “Con Amor Siempre”. This song slows the tempo down a bit, but not the quality as this was an excellent choice for the first single. The infectious “On That Road Again” is next and features a chorus that is so damn catchy that you couldn’t get it out of your head if you tried. This song is definitely among my favorites. Also one of my favorites is the sensitive ballad “Say Who You Are”. Aside from her huge, goose bump inducing vocals, Alex also proves what a talented lyricist she is. This is definitely something that comes from the heart. Other highlights include: “Home”, “Haunt Me”, “Fall Away” and the awesome “Mediocre Me”. There is something wonderfully retro about Le Monnier. They seem to be influenced by 70s hard rock, while still managing to sound important and relevant in 2011/12. For fans who liked their debut effort, “Russian Doll Life” from Le Monnier should absolutely satisfy your hunger for good, strong melodic rock with memorable hooks and songs. Alex and crew deliver just that and more. This is one band to watch in 2012.
Rating - 90/100
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Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
After their impressive debut, “Cynic Sister” which was released in 2009, the U.K. based power rock trio Le Monnier will finally return with their sophomore outing in September called “Russian Doll Life”. Until then the band has released a new single called “Con Amor Siempre” as a precursor to their newest release. “Con Amor Siempre” starts off rather quietly before quickly evolving into a fantastic guitar dominated heavy rock track. Vocalist Alexandra Le Monnier has certainly done an excellent job with her vocals, and musically the band is simply on fire. Although, “Con Amor Siempre” lasts only about 3 ½ minutes, it certainly gets the job done in building anticipation for “Russian Doll Life”. “Con Amor Siempre” is a hard hitting, exercise in heavy rock that bodes quite well for their impending second release. Ordering info can be obtained through the official Le Monnier web site. Support this band, they deserve it!
Rating - 90/100
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Label : Irond LTD
Review by Tony Cannella
Andem (Meaning Angel and Demon in English) is a really good band. I don’t mean to oversimplify things, and it is only my opinion, but this female fronted power metal outfit is one of the best bands to emerge from Russia. Formed in 2005 Andem has thus far released two full-length albums and now return after two years with their new 4-song EP, “Graal” (English translation “Grail”). Their new EP features two brand new songs and two re-recorded versions of older songs. Like their previous albums all the lyrics are sung in Russian, not that it matters any, good music is good music and metal is universal anyway. The opening track – and one of the new ones – “Graal” opens somewhat subdued, before the galloping rhythms kick in as the band runs through this piece of melodic power metal effortlessly as the clean, soaring vocals of Yuliana Savchenko leads the charge. The heavy melodic power of the second new song “Ti Uvidish Svet” is next and the band proves to be just as hungry as on the first one track. New power and life are injected into the final two songs, re-recorded versions of “Bezumnity Angel” and “Iz Nichego”. In my book Andem continues to grow and prosper into a truly potent power metal band. “Graal” is good for what it is – which is hopefully a bridge to their next full-length.
Rating - 92/100
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Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Zephyra hails from Sweden and they play fairly straight forward metal with some progressive overtones. But make no mistake about it, metal rules on their new demo “Behave”.”Behave” features 6-songs and about 30-minutes worth of heavy metal, complete with buzz saw like riffs and memorable choruses. Vocalist Åsa Netterbrant may not be technically the greatest singer you will ever hear but she more than makes up for it with passion and heart. The individual band members aren’t bad either, as they provide a solid foundation for the songs. The opening trio of “Sore of Duty”, “Stay Forever” and “I Know” gets things going. “No Limit Obsession” is a definite highlight, with Åsa supplying death growls at certain points in the song. “What Doesn’t Kill You…” has a haunting vibe to it and the band shows off a bit of an Iron Maiden influence around the guitar solo. “Behave” concludes with a cover of the song “Russian Roulette” by Rihanna, of all people. Of course Zephyra give it the metal treatment (what else would you expect?). On “Behave”, Zephyra wear their metal-ness on their sleeves but also are not afraid to tackle different influences (like the Rihanna cover for instance).
Rating - 85/100
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Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Zephyra hails from Sweden and they play fairly straight forward metal with some progressive overtones. But make no mistake about it, metal rules on their new demo “Behave”.”Behave” features 6-songs and about 30-minutes worth of heavy metal, complete with buzz saw like riffs and memorable choruses. Vocalist Åsa Netterbrant may not be technically the greatest singer you will ever hear but she more than makes up for it with passion and heart. The individual band members aren’t bad either, as they provide a solid foundation for the songs. The opening trio of “Sore of Duty”, “Stay Forever” and “I Know” gets things going. “No Limit Obsession” is a definite highlight, with Åsa supplying death growls at certain points in the song. “What Doesn’t Kill You…” has a haunting vibe to it and the band shows off a bit of an Iron Maiden influence around the guitar solo. “Behave” concludes with a cover of the song “Russian Roulette” by Rihanna, of all people. Of course Zephyra give it the metal treatment (what else would you expect?). On “Behave”, Zephyra wear their metal-ness on their sleeves but also are not afraid to tackle different influences (like the Rihanna cover for instance).
Rating - 85/100
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Label : Ravenheart Music
Review by Tony Cannella
Rating - 75/100
Tracklist
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Label : Napalm Records
Review by Erwin van Dijk
Rating - 90/100
Tracklist
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Label : Irond Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Rating - 85/100
Tracklist
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