Kari Rueslatten - Other People's Stories (2004)

Released seven years after the other album of hers, this is a lighter weight, more internationally friendly album. For one thing, the lyrics and vocals are in English. Her voice is as sweet and lilting as before, delicate and fragile like a feather on the breeze, but with a power to it too.

The cover booklet is sophisticated and modern, with photographs "enhanced" by white vectored lines that are used to depict motion, perhaps? The paper is sturdy and quite glossy, high quality ink. It almost looks laminated.

The album opens with the gentle "Other People's Stories". The vocals dominate, the gently strumming guitars playing a pleasing background to the lilting vocals and autumnal rhythms.

Another pleasant and gentle piece with some folk-type rhythms, "Sorrow to My Door" is not a particularly cheerful song, although the litling vocals are sweet and pure as bells, even when singing sorrow:

"The house burned down, to the ground, to the ground, ashes and dust."

 "Dog Star" has a slightly bubbly sound to it, like a record. The vocals are playful and oh-so innocent, Kari's accent becoming more apparent. It's a very narrative song, with the lyrics being rather simplistic, befitting the mood.

"Cry" has a slightly technical edge to it, a twirling, whirling accentuation to the vocals - which are again soft and delicate.

"When Lillies Bloom on Winter Days" is like crystalline snowflakes drifting down to gild the frozen flowers. Pure, untainted, with an icy chill lit by sunlight.

Somewhat more modern, almost technical and with the rhythms more typical of one of the dance genres, "Push" is a faster paced and far more commercial in feel.

"Ride" is another combining the vocals with strangely electronically eerie noises and the stronger modern beats.

Even more spectral and vocal, "Fishing" relies entirely on the vocals. Kari's voice dancing up and down the rhythms, high and sweet and pure. Several verse in the instruments start, a whimsical accompaniment.

"Carved in Stone" is another pleasantly gentle piece with slightly more stirring choruses and light electronic accompaniment.

"Life" offers more of the same and "Orlando" offers little more, although it has a pleasingly melancholic feel to it.

 Overall, this is an extremely easy album to listen to - but not a very inspirational one. It makes for pleasing, soothing background music - along the lines of Enya (but less irritating) with its slow pacing and languid, relaxed rhythms. The tracks are short - the longest being just over 4 and a half minutes. Whilst Kari's voice is certainly sweet and aurally pleasing, each track blurs into one and it's a bit dull.

Rating 6/10.

In This Moment - The Dream (2008)

In This Moment started life in 2005, changing their name from Dying Star, along with their musical direction. Fronted by sassy lass, Maria Brink, they have released four albums and developed a fanbase via MySpace, internet marketing and plenty of small gigs. They hail from Los Angeles, California.

"The Dream" is their second album, released in 2008. Mine is a digipack edition and it is rather whimsical in apperance - designed to look like a sepia-toned novel. The cover depicts a raven, a cute fuzzy bunny rabbit and a heart-shaped clock-flower. Inside, things take a somewhat more sinister bend with the spooky fly-rabbit adorning the cd, and some rather creepy photographs flanking the lyric booklet. The lyrics are illustrated with cartoons of Alice in Wonderland characters, each bearing a striking resemblance to the band member pictured beside them.

It is also a cd rom, and appears to contain a video file for "Forever", along with an audio interview with the band.

The album opens with the eerie and dreamy "The Rabbit Hole" before rocking in to "Forever". A bouncy, catchy pop-come-metal piece, this is one track guaranteed to get the audience bopping up and down. Brink's voice is one of those sweet-and-innocent-but-secretly-malicious that I tend to associate with the deviant school girl or gothic lolita. I can almost imagine her prancing around in a tutu and splashing about in the waves. But then again, that might be just because I watched the video.

"All For You" follows similar themes. Steady rock rhythms, keyboards and guitars, boppy and poppy.

We tone things down a bit for "Lost at Sea" where a desperate and haunted edge lends itself to Brink's voice.

"Mechanical Love" brings us back into the steady rock rhythms, boppy choruses, bringing with it a steady dose of relationship angst:

"Oh, and you'll never understand me...."

 A dark and disconcerting piece, "Her Kiss" starts with a spoken whisper, before being overwhelmed by surging guitars, and Brink's soaring vocals cut in, sounding pure and sweet until she falls into the more familiar boppy-poppy rhythms we've grown used to. The song builds into a dramatic climax before fading out once more into..

This is followed by the soft and delicate "Into the Light" with plenty of piano in a shadow of a reflection of Evanescence's "My Immortal". Brink can sound rather sweet when she wants to.

"You Always Believed" sounds like a bitch song - the sort of "you're gone and I'm better off without you" track that was popular of around this era. This feeling is directly contridicted by the lyrics:

"And you held me through it all, and you never let me fall. And you let me fly away and you always believed..."

 As far as love songs go, it's not very convincing!

"The Great Divide" is another heavier number, with Brink squawking like a ferocious speed-metal chick over pounding drums. The chorus is more familiar ITM, although tinged with anger and desperation.

A surging rock number with shouted vocals, "Violet Skies" brings us back into the rockin', kick-arse chick feel.

We conclude with the slow and gentle "The Dream" which seems a fitting way to end the album.

Except it's not the end - for we have two bonus tracks. They're nothing to write home about - one is another version of "Forever" and the second is an instrumental version of "Forever".

Overall, not a bad album but rather reminiscent of the era - Evanescence, Pink, No Doubt and any of those female bitchy-kick-arse-chick singers that I never really paid much attention to, being rather caught in the nostalgias of the past. The songs are a nice variety of soft and fast, boppy and heavy but alas for ITM, Brink's vocals let them down with her typical vocal style getting very tedious after a few tracks. She's good when she sings it slow or lets her voice soar, she should do that more.

I ummed and ahhed between a 6 and a 7, and eventually settled on the good ol' 6.5/10.

Nightwish - Oceanborn (1998)

This has to be one of the most beautiful albums in my (rather large) collection - both visually and musically. The cover is gorgeous - with gentlre indigos and purples, a dragon's eye enfolds the earth - a snowy owl carries a scroll and a woman lies, face up in the water. It is somehow both soothing and slightly sinister. The band photo is intersting too - Tarja crouches at the front, her hair up and in almost Victorian attire, looking slightly gothic-Lolita'ly. Behind her Tuomas gives a sly smug grin and the other three members, all so young and fresh faced, look suitably bored. Inside the lyrics overlay images, all in the varying shades of blue, which make them a little difficult to read.

The music is as refreshing and powerful as the cover. It opens with the epic keyboard and guitar rifts of "Stargazers", the synths soaring wildly and intensely before the guitars surge in to wash them away. Tarja's voice is that of an angel - strong and powerful, rich and a fine soprano. She can scale three octaves and is classically trained.

"Gethsemane" follows. Haunting, beautiful, intense. Words cannot easily describe the delicious wall of epic sound, the soaring vocals and magical interplay of keyboards, guitars, bass and vocals. The mood is flawless and enchanting, taking the listener away across the waves and into a frozen wonderland of fiords and infinite beauty.

Pounding and intense rhythms lead us into "Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean" and the low and menacing, almost demonic vocals, quickly overlaid with Tarja's angelic ones. This is an immense and powerful piece. In the background, the keyboard florishes and soars.

"Sacarament of Wilderness" has the same intensity. The power and might of the instruments, the solid wall of evocative, emotive sound combines strikingly well with the silver-spear of Tarja's voice, which is like a radiant, powerful force. It is easy to imagine oneself in an immense and ancient forest, where moss and frost drip from the tree branches and the trees whisper their secrets to one another with the wind.

Solid guitar leads us into "Passion and the Opera", a magnificant and powerful piece in which Tarja's true vocal range is explored and the music more supports her rather than taking on a personality of its own. That's not to say it is not soaring and diverse and very dramatic. Haunting, melancholic. Breath-taking.

Gentle flute and enchanted melodies heralds "Swanheart", a soft and delicate number; fleeting and gentle as a cascade of feathers. Her voice is one of the most soaring and evocative that I have ever heard, so sweet and powerful it cannot help but touch your heart and bring a tear to the eye of all who behold it. This song is absolutely enchanting.

The instrumental "Moondance" proves how delicate and sophisticated the instruments can be, with a folkish edge, this is probably the most epic reel I have ever heard. It is easy to imagine faeries dancing by moonlight, flutes in hand, their tiny delicate bodies glowing under the gentle carress of her light.

"The Riddler" is gloriously melodic. The vocals sublime and smooth, the music playing both a delicate and dramatic counterpoint.

The rather ominous "The Pharoah Sails to Orion" starts with lows, menacing tones, with guttural  male vocals snarling over the rising power of the guitars, merging with flurries of keyboard; faster, faster, faster. It breaks, more growled vocals, and Tarja's angelic trilling an ethereal counterpoint. The keyboards trill. A flute whoops and soars in sweeps and shimmies.

The superlative and beautiful rendition of "Walking in the Air" has me entranced. The sublime vocals, soaring effortlessly over the melancholic, the bittersweet, the absolutely stunning and beautiful melodies. Words cannot describe how this song makes me feel.

And as if the emotion, the evocation, the splendour of that is not enough, it is then followed up by the even more spell-binding "Sleeping Sun". Supported only by gentle chiming and light guitar (I think), Tarja's voice is filled with emotive glory and power. Gentle, and oh so heart-rending. Magnificant.

This album is certainly one of the finest metal albums I have ever heard - powerful and evocative, emotional and heavy in parts, delicate and fleeting in others. It is one of the finest examples of symphonic metal I could ever imagine and is enchanting, haunting and all sorts of other delightful adjectives.

It's gonna have to be another 10/10.

Alpine Fault - Iraena's Ashes (2011)

This is my newest CD*. So new, in fact, that I received it three days ago and only listened to it today for the first time - I was saving it until I worked my way through the alphabet for the first time.

You've probably not heard of Alpine Fault - unless you have a facebook page and similar interests to me, and clicked on the promotion link when it appeared in your adds feed. That's what I did - and I would like to report - that sometimes those adds are very useful!

Alpine Fault were formed in New Zealand, like the right-lateral, strike-slip fault that runs the length of both our islands. They now make their home in Brisbane. With any luck, they might be performing when I head that way later this year (*fingers crossed, pretty please*). They combine classical music and metal, with operatic female vocals, melodic male vocals, and the occasional snarl or scream. For a band that have only been around for seven years, their sound is very polished, very complex and very, very good. They have recently replaced their vocalist, so it shall be interesting to see how she differs from the singer on this album, Nadia Vanek.

"Iraena's Ashes" is something of a concept album, based on an incident that happened in Auckland, in 2004. A young schoolteacher/model named Iraena Asher called the police expressing fears for her safety. Instead of sending a police car, a taxi was sent instead. To the wrong address. Iraena was then found wandering by a couple, who took her into their home for several hours. At sometime after midnight, she left and was last seen, semi clad, walking towards the beach. When approached by others, she ran away. She was never seen again. It is suspected she drowned, although her body was not found. She suffered from bipolar disorder. This album is a tribute to her and follows the themes of loss and separation, love and death. It is a beautiful, moody album.

The cover is hauntingly melancholic in shades of blue and grey - a woman stands alone, looking down and into the ocean. She is off-cetred, to the left, further enhancing the atmosphere of sorrow and loss. It is beautifully rendered, flawlessly professional. The interior holds more of the spectral sea, rocks merging from its treacherous depths. Further through, and the band stand in the whispy fog, their small figures looking lost and alone against the vastness of their environment. Their poses look almost amusingly forced, their expressions alternate between moody and bored.

The opening track, "Into the Night" is infused with heavy guitars, intermingled with violins and with Nadia's sweet voice like a melancholic wail. Male vocalist, Anthony Royle, joins her on the chrous, his voice performing the "Beauty and the Beast" counterpoint. This is the song about walking into the sea, and the tumultuous nature of the music corresponds with the heaving, confused emotions of the lyrics. It fades on a heart-rendering, wailed, note of despair.

"Above the Storm" brings in the violin and gentler guitar, before falling into a steady, haunted rhythm.The tune is tinged with desperation and despair. The violin adds a fragile thread of loneliness.

Strumming and violin again lead us into the mesmorising "I'll See You Soon"

A heavier song, tempered with mourning violins, is "Mourning has Broken (sleep)" here the vocals are exclusively male and the mood flavoured with anger.

"Requiem" is bewitching. With its spectral murmurings of the ocean, over the gentle intro music; forlorn vocals and haunting lyrics.

A largely instrumental piece, "The Watcher Beneath" allows the violinist full scope, creating a mood of misty haze, hanging in sullen clouds over the dark and treacherous depths of the ocean. Beneath lurks the unknown.

Insanity and aggression seems to be the theme of "Severance" with the music becoming a frenzied, untamed beast.

"March of the Tides" is a beautiful violin instrumental. I do not think I have seem a symphonic band in which the violin is as integral as in Alpine Fault. It adds a special, haunting, mesmorizing tone and an element of mournful longing.

"Under a Dying Sky" is as haunting and forlorn as you might expect from the title.

I've only listened to this album maybe two or three times now, and I can already say - with assurance, that I am a big fan of Alpine Fault and that I am very, very keen to see them live. They are performing in Auckland later this year - as part of AetherCon 2012 (although I would not consider them particularly steampunk, but who cares?) but not sure if my budget extends to taking another overnighter up to the humid city for another concert this year. Still, as they now hail from Brisbane and we will be headed that way later this year, maybe I'll luck it. Anyhow, with sounds like this - they're going to go far and should be around for some time yet.

Let's give them a 10/10.

You can buy Iraena's Ashes from here: Alpine Fault's website

* Note for my sole reader: My second-newest I shall be reviewing when I reach "D"

Xandria - Ravenheart (2004)

Xandria fall into the category of folk-metal-with-female-vocals and as such are an amazing act. Nowadays, they sound a little more Nightwish, but at this stage in their career, they bore more in common with Within Temptation (of the same era, not their more modern stuff) and Leaves' Eyes.

This is one of those "enhanced CDs" which means when you insert it you can choose it to begin a program. This was all well and good, except once I had it on, I could not turn it off without going into my Program Manager and forcibly closing it down. Bit irritating. It did give me the opportunity to watch the video for Ravenheart however. It's a rather moody clip - with some colours exaggerated and saturdated to enhance the otherworld quality. Gosh, she really is a redhead! But I feel bad for the ravens - why are they branded messengers of evil? There are "little red riding hood" vibes in this too. Looks like it was done on a relatively low budget.

The packaging likewise seems a little cheap and self indulgent - the vocalist is rather pretty, but I'm not sure if her startlingly green eyes and the red feathers brushing her equally red hair were what drew me to this CD, although I suspect it did help - since I was going through a power metal/folk with female vocals phase (and I still am). I may also have had them recommended to me. She has gorgeous eyelashes too.

Inside, the lyric booklet uses dark reds and ochre yellows to create a somewhat melancholic mood.

The CD opens with the crashing symphony of "Ravenheart", which fades gently into hushed folk-inspired vocals. Lisa Schapaus has a sweet tinged, but powerful voice.Crashing chords increase the energy and it is almost as though she is flinging flocks of black birds into the sky, with them swirling and flapping through the storm-filled clouds above.

Haunting vibes and rhythms usher us into "The Lioness", until the symphonic sound crashes down, smothering them with their intensity, then fades again as the vocals take hold. Fragile vocals, ephemeral. Such a sweet voice, but predatory words:

"... feel her coming near, she smells the blood, her prey is near..."

Lisa is something of a lioness herself, her voice is like a gentle touch, a sweet caress, but one cannot help but feel there is power and danger behind it.

"Back to the River" starts with some awesome and haunting sitar, before moving into a more modern sound. It is a gentler song, lacking the symphonic power of its predecessors on this album, and for some reason is intermingled with sampled speech.

With flute and piano, "Eversleeping" matches its name with its haunting serenity.

"Fire of Universe" has a rather more modern vibes going on - more technical sounding.

"Some Like It Cold" is another dreamier number, the vocals dominating the song and evoking feelings of blue-tinged sadness and soliture.

"Answer" is another perfectly pleasant blend of female vocals and light background music, with the occasional hint of more modern sound.

The haunting, ghostly sounds that begin "My Scarlet Name" bring with them a touch of the winter chill, and the guitar speaks of loneliness and solitude.

"Snow White" begins with some vaguely familiar chords and a bit more promise. It does follow a similar structure to the rest of this album - bold start, music fading to highlight the vocals, then coming in with them again in a more subdued manner.

"Black Flame" brings with it a bit more energy, but is pretty light by metal standards.

More atmosphere and mood reigns in "Too Close to Breathe". Here the gentle, soft, sweet vocals intermingle with the occasional pounding bass, before the music is once again tamed.

The final track "Keep my Secret Well" is similarly polished and clean, with a somewhat modern edge to it and some fairly banal lyrics:

"...Keep my secret well like my eyes keep their tears...

Some sweet whispered moments and a fairly gentle, mild-natured song with some nicely soothing piano to conclude both the track and the album.

Whilst a perfectly pleasant album, with powerful, symphonic vocals and the occasional soaring guitar, there seems to be something lacking in Xandria. Almost as though they have tried so hard to be polished and pure that it has somehow sanitised the raw energy. The album starts strong, but fades into mediocrity, peeking out its head again with only a couple more stand-out tracks. These later songs - whilst pleasing to listen to, do not show any real creativity or distinction over what has come before. I think too much emphasis has been put on the vocals, and the music is somewhat subdued and tamed beside it. The two need to act in concert to create more energy and atmosphere.

Because I do really like the first two songs plus "Eversleeping" and "My Scarlet Name", I'm umming and hahhing with how to rate this album, trying to decide between a better-than-average but unremarkable six and a quite-good-but-not-excellent seven.

Rating = 6.5/10

Unwoman - Knowledge Scars (2001)

Keeping it Californian, we now have Unwoman - the solo project of Erica Mulkey, who is vocalist and celloist, with electronic influences.

She has been branded as "steampunk" which is a strange genre designation by any means and I have no idea what it refers to. Her music is a strange infusion of electronic noise, vocals - sometimes distorted, cello and overall weirdness. I'm not sure quite what to make of it.

I did not buy this CD, it may have just appeared in my collection, but more likely my brother - he of the most eclectic and avantgarde tastes, passed it onto me. I'm not quite sure if it was because he thought I would like it or because he had two copies of it. I have to confess, I am not overly fond of it, although she does have a very lovely voice, the discordant, disjoined background noise (hard to call it music) does not spark anything in me except for plucking a little at my nerves.

Still, maybe it shall improve with a dissection. In practice, with CDs that I have listened to maybe once previously (like this one), I listen through them entirely before I begin on a track-by-track breakdown.

She really does have a lovely voice. Why oh why can't the music gain some sort of consistency?

Started again from the beginning and it's actually starting to grow on me.

Cover is not astonishing, but has a sort of melancholic air to the portrait. Maybe it's all the purple. Not sure about the steampunk definition - looks more cyberpunk to me - from the font to the format. The music adds an almost sci-fi edge to it.

The band name is taken from "A Handmaid's Tale" the Margaret Atwood dystopia novel (which I have not read) and which I think also reflects the lyrics and general theme.

"In Gilead" begins with something that I cannot quite understand - "the mind has forgot what a woman is meant to be?" It then moves into dreamy cello and drum machine, with crackling sounds like an old record, scratching its way into oblivion. Over this, wails Erica's fragile voice. She has some nice trills to it. Overall, it is dreamy and somewhat surreal. The lyrics are quite dark - defining a woman by her bits - debating

"you have reduced us to our fertility... A womb, a c**t, a dried-out shell..."

More drum machine and samples beckon us into "The Futurist's Nightmare". This does have something of a clockwork feel - a wind-up doll trapped in eternal motion. No lyrics printed, just short, sung lines. Her voice really is like glass, or maybe crystal, stabbing through the distorting electronic noises. The noise is not too loud, but very discordent, twisting and writhing like a cobweb of wires. 

I believe the next song, "Deeper Understanding" seems to be a cover of a Kate Bush song. As such, there are more lyrics, and we get to hear a little more of Erica's vocal talents. She really does have a nice voice, although it does seem kind of thin, and I cannot help but imagine her as this slender waif of a thing, entangled in a cradle ot cables. The music is pure electronic noise, somewhat subdued.


A short way into "Who Programmed My Desire?" I am beginning to wonder - is my CD skipping? Don't think so... Fairly repetitive rhythm. Vocals, but no definable lyrics (none printed either).

We have bongo-style drums and electric cello to begin "Knowledge Scars". It has an almost tribal feel - albeit a weird and futuristic tribal feel. Erica's voice seems to be gaining strength too, as she is given full rein over her own lyrics. So far, this is definitely my favourite song on this album. It seems to have a better definied structure. It even has a discernable chorus and concludes with a rather nice cello solo.

Strident string instruments and distortion mark the beginning to "Freedom from Religion?" Along with sampling. Erica's voice is gaining in strength with every song, as here the hint of venom tempers it. This is a not unpleasant anti-religion song:

"You can't legislate reverence. Our cultures are our own. There is no god for us. We can't believe what we know is false."

 Although the music is still discordant and flavoured with samples and synths and drum machine rhythms, interspersed with wailing vocals.

The beginning of "Sentiment (White Feathers)" is almost painful, and sounds like my speakers are about to explode. Then the drums come in and prove that the noise is intentional, and not a mechanical breakdown. The rhythm of this song is actually pretty good. It is another cover song. I think it may have once been a folk song. Nope, it's a social political song about how meat animals (pigs, cows) are treated. Rather a haunting one actually. Here's the original by Crass. This version is also haunting - but more in a "ghost in the machine" kind of way. I kinda like it. I think I might play it loudly. The rhythm is exceedingly catchy, and a little faster in this version.
The lyrics might make you want to turn vegetarian.

The electronic vibes do funny things to my head, kinda reverberating in my skull. I remember when everyone (except me) was in love with techno, and used to play it far too loudly in the Seventh Form Common Room at school. My locker was just outside the room, and it used to make me feel physically ill. This doesn't make me feel ill, but it does feel kinda weird.

We seem to have some sort of organ-kinda-noise in "Dispossessed".

"Lament for Peter Pan" is rather haunting, the music wailing like a lost spirit over the equally lonely vocals.

Discordance and skipping samples, echo the voices of souls lost in the electronic hell. "Subsistence" is oh-so very weird. I cannot explain it. It's almost like a machine calling for help. Is my CD skipping? If I turn it up louder, will my speakers explode? Are the spirits of cyberspace preparing to unleash themselves upon an unsuspecting world? According to the sleeve, the source material is from "Paresthesia" which  is the sensation of pins and needles. That is EXACTLY what this music replicates. Little prickling needles, electric sensation; prod-prod-prodding at your ears. Growing in volume, breaking, splintering.
It's actually pretty damned freaky.
And it's been going for over four minutes now.

Ringing synth vibrates and echoes into the eerie "You". Erica sounds lost, fractured from reality.

There are samples from "Labyrinth" in "When I Touch Myself".  It is a song about how love can make you weak and tear you away from yourself. It's almost poetry, and written by Dolores Haze - whomever she is.

"What I realised today was that in loving you I forgot to love myself. Then I was nothing and you lost interest. More importantly, I lost interest in myself."

True words, Ms Haze. True words.

"The Drowning Man" drowns you in its churning rhythms and engulfs you in its haunting vocals. The distorted samples are like great droplets, pounding the ears. The echoing, spectral music with its twisting, writhing rhythms and edge of desperation, push you down, suffocating. drowning you.
I think The Cure do it better, though.

More stuttering samples and discordances bring us into "Vacant Skies Revisited". The lyrics are pure morbid poetry, a song of fractured skies and tattered clouds.

This is a weird album, and one I would likely not have bought myself. It is something of an oddity in my collection. The discordancies, the strange samples, the electronic noise twist and writhe into my ears in a manner that is not exactly pain, but not pelasure either. It is tangled, and twisted and surreal and strange. Possibly if I listen to it more often, it might grow on me, or if I turn it up louder it might spark something in my synapses, and make me either ill or put me on an auditory high.

As it currently stands, however (and I'm sorry brother*), I'm going to have to rate it a 4/10. I guess I'm just too mainstream.

* If I recall, you did say "you may not like it" when you gave it to me?

Nightwish - Century Child (2002)

Nightwish are a magnificent band - formed in 1996, by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and vocalist Tarja Turunen. By the time this album was released, Marco Hietala had joined the band and took over the male vocals. Tarja's voice is elegant and other-worldly, a beautiful counterpoint to the heavy music and Marco's occasional growls.

This packaging is beautiful - a woman crouches before a waterfall, cradling a black rose. The colours - black and purple, seem to evoke the general feel of the music, which is rich and multi-layered. However, the font is pretty difficult to read with the white seeming to be shadowed against the purple. This may just be my version - which I obtained from Russia via Ebay.

 It opens with a short spoken piece and then breaks into the epic "Bless the Child". This contains the line:

"Think of me long enough to make a memory."

A line which I have always found somewhat heart-breaking.

"End of all Hope" is epic and powerful.

"Dead to the World" is an interesting one, with the male vocals seeming to dominate at least in the start - but Marco isn't growling here, he's actually singing - and not half bad at it either. Tarja's voice soars against his raw notes, in the Beauty and the Beast styling that I described earlier.

With its beautiful opening piano, "Ever Dream" is an ethereal lullaby - breaking into true Nightwish symphonic style, before the sweet-natured, silver-throated vocals return.

"Slaying the Dreamer" is a little more hardcore, at least musically, the vocals still sweet but with a harsh edge of threat. Marco's vocals are very aggressive. This is a song of betrayal and anger.

As though to alleviate the negative emotion of the preceding song, "Forever Yours" is very sweet and gentle, a whispered caress of gentle percussion and wind instruments.

Similarly gentle is "Ocean Soul". It also includes one of the most memorable choruses.

This is followed by the beautiful and romantic "Feel for You". Or to be precise, it sounds romantic - until Marco comes in and it takes a startlingly dark turn:

"...Barely cold in her grave, barely warm in my bed..."

 I hope it's more about someone else usurping another's widowed husband rather than necrophilia!

"Phantom of the Opera" is an EPIC rendition of this classic tune. Tarja's voice handles it so well and the music just sends energy and power surging through me. No matter the version, the opening chords of this song always stir something deep in my viscera.

"Beauty and the Beast" brings this CD to a powerful conclusion. Despite the epic nature of the song, it does not quite haunt me the way some of the earlier pieces do, but it is still a masterfully written and performed piece.

Overall, an amazing album from an amazing band. There's not much more to say about Nightwish - except that they certainly deserve the rep they have earned and are also awesome live - even without the magnificent vocals of Tarja.

9/10

Leaves' Eyes - Meredead (2011)

Following on in the wake of the Nightwish and Evanescence tide, a lot of female lead symphonic metal bands hit the scene - many were very good - and some, like German-Norwegian group Leaves' Eyes are excellent. Blending the heavy sounds of doom-death metal band, Atrocity, with the melodic warblings of vocalist, Liv Kristine (ex- Theatre of Tragedy). Their lyrics are based on nature (like early Within Temptation) and  mythology. There is a heavy folk vibe as well and the band make use of traditional instruments.

I have the digi-pack version, which is a nice hard-covered digipack (I am not so fond of those flimsy cardboard affairs) and additional live DVD. With the booklet being attached to the case, it's almost like a little, odd-shaped book. Very nice, even if it doesn't slot into my CD rack. The cover is beautiful and seems to show a dark-haired, elfin woman water bending.

 The CD begins with choral singing and chanting as we delve into the haunting "Spirits' Masquerade". The combination of instruments and the beat, with the flowing, water-droplet sweet voice of Kristine weaves a deeply spiritual feeling.

"Etain" is melodic and beautiful. She is from Irish mythology. It is easy to imagine a dancing blue butterfly, flitting along to this tune.

Violins and guitar herald us into "Velvet Heart", along with something that could be wind chimes. It has a stronger beat.

We then have the folk song "Krakevisa" which is the story of the Crow and the Farmer and a traditional Scandinavian folk song. I've also heard it performed by Tempest under a different name. It's very strongly folk, but also rather heavy, with much use of violins  (or do you call them fiddles?). This version is a lot slower and more melancholic than Tempest's rendition. In case you are curious, it's the story of a crow that attacks a farmer, and then gets killed and butchered, its parts put to various use. Kinda macabre.

Mike Oldfield's "To France" is next on the agenda and turned from a old-school pop-rock song into an epic anthem. Blind Guardian have given this song their own treatment too. It has a lot of power - I really should listen to the original. This one is quite melancholic and filled with longing.

"Meredead" is ghostly and sung in Olde English. I do not understand a word of it (I thought it was Norwegian) but it speaks of death in the sea. "Meredead" is a word that Liv Kristine coined herself.

"Sigrlinn" starts very folk, but is the first song on the album to have very clear "Beauty and the Beast" vocalising, with Krull growling in Norwegian - NOT his native tongue (he's German) and something he had to do phonetically. Also offering vocals in this song is Liv's sister, Carmen. This is a tale of an epic journey, and the changeable mood of the music reflects that.

Also in a foreign lingo, "Mine Jaror er ei Geimme" is a very soft, gentle song without the Atrocity acccompaniment. It is a medieaval ballad - a poem of a woman mourning her husband who has fallen in battle. Beautiful, ephemeral.

Followed up by the rather heavier "Empty Horizons" which reminds me of Atrocity's finer moments - the low - but not growling, vocals of Krull intermingled with Kristine's finer range. A haunting duet.

"Veritas" provides an intro to the traditional Norwegian stave of "Nystev".

Flutes and some form of string instrument (mandolin) lead us into the lovely "Tell Tale Eyes", in which the Beauty and the Beast singing style is exchanged for a melodic ballad, displaying the true vocal talents of Alexander Krull. The only accompaniment, the mandolin. The lyrics are slightly menacing, despite the beauty of the song.

The final, bonus track, "Sorhleod" is really lovely, even if I do not understand a word of it.

Overall, a beautiful amalgamation of folk, metal and power, establishing this group firmly amongst the best of the genre.

Rated: 9/10

Kari Rueslatten - Spindelsinn (1997)

Okay, so listening to someone whose first name starts with K is kinda cheating, but it was her or Kiske, and I didn't feel like listening to more Michael Kiske today. Pity I didn't buy that Kamelot CD, eh?

Kari Rueslatten is a Norwegian lass who is 6 years older than me, making her 41. And, she actually looks it. Her voice, however, is like liquid silver, dipped in honey. She, along with her symphonic doom band - 3rd and the Mortal, were inspiration for such greats as Nightwish. She has performed with several groups, integrating doom-laden metal with folk vibes and her haunting, ethereal* voice.

The elements of folk are strong in this CD, her debut solo one (albeit a remastered version). Alas, the lyrics are all in Norwegian - a language I do not speak, and thus I cannot comment on her song writing abilities. However, despite the language barrier, I enjoy the way she sings, the lilt to her voice and the various levels she can attain.

Except that I have found translations! And the lyrics are as haunting and beautiful as you might imagine. I'll link them from the songs, so you can at least know what the titles and themes are. In lack of understandable lyrics, instead we are treated to an evocative combination of intruments and voice, portraying the message through sounds, not words, that are understandable in any language.

So, let us begin. And yes, I know I should be using the appropriate characters for some of these letters, but I haven't figured out how to do the special Norwegian letters. My apologies.

"I Manens Favn" ("In the Moon's Embrace") is a song about a dancer, whose magical dance lures in the women. It is most definitely folk inspired, and has a very bouncy rhythm. I could dance to this. I SHOULD dance to this.

We get slower with  the haunting "Spindelsinn" ("Mind Web"). A song that weaves an enchanting tune.

Now that I know what the "Skogens Kjole" ("The Forest's Song") is about,  I cannot help but feel the spirit of the forest in the words. It's easy to imagine snow-shrouded branches and leaves dropping in the breeze. The song is delicate and fragile.

The very sweet "Agatha" follows. It sounds like a love song. Agatha strikes me as being a wispy, spiritual being - a guide from another world.


"Trollferd" ("Troll Journey") takes you to another world, into a boreal forest, where snow sticks tot he moss laden trees and a trail of strange footsteps leads you through the snow, while above the sky is pale with the promise of frost.

"Vintersol" ("Winter Sunlight") picks up a more upbeat tone, sunbeams glinting off the snow, banishing the cold and portraying the world as pure and clean. A perfect day for a winter walk. The music has the promise of spring in its step, and the inclusion of classical instruments makes it seem divine.

A tender, beckoning song - "Jeg Kommer Inn" ("I'm coming in"), with string instruments, singing alongside Kari's beautiful voice. There's a little bit of bounce in the middle.

"Hor Min Sang" ("Hear My Song") is a very sweet and gentle piece, as soft as a caress.

"Som Av Meg" ("As of Me") is beautiful and ephemeral, a delicate whisper.

The chilling and ghostly "Nordnatt" ("Night of the North") ends the album, a haunting song of long, chilling nights and a vivid tapestry of stars. It fades slowly, the music ghosting away.

There are two more tracks - live versions of "Spindelsinn" and "I Manens Favn".

This is a beautiful album, a soundrtack to a cold winterland. The folk aspects and the classical instruments are a flawless combination with the sweet, lonely voice of Kari Rueslatten. The only downside is that the lyrics are not in English, but it loses none of its beauty because of this - and perhaps gains an extra element of mystique.

Overall rating = 9/10.

I have another CD by Kari, and it is in English.

* You will probably hear this term a lot in these reviews, this is because I like females with haunting, ethereal voices and have quite a collection of these CDs. If I can think of a different adjective, I shall make use of it. Okay?

Edenbridge - Shine (2004)

Once upon a time, there used to be a most awesome music store in town, known as "Real Groovy". Every once in a while, I would make my way along their aisles, flicking through the "Metal" section and select 2-3 CDs that for some reason or another caught my eye. Unlike JB Hi-Fi, in Real Groovy, you could listen to your chosen CDs and thus make a spur-of-the-moment decision to try a new band.

That was how I discovered Edenbridge.

It was in the time when Evanescence* were big, and I had discovered wonderful female lead acts such as Within Temptation and Nightwish, but always on the look-out for more. And I fell in love with Edenbridge.

One reason, I think, is because they just sound more cheerful than Nightwish and Elis* and Epica* and most of the other female-lead symphonic metal bands.

The vocalist, her name is Sabine Edelsbacher, is sylph-like and her voice is ethereal and operatic. There is an edge to it (and to the music that accentuates it) that makes my heart soar with energy and light and love.

The album opens with the inspirational "Shine". The music complements Sabine's rich voice, and is laden with positive emotion.

We move into "Move Along Home" with its opening Oriental sounding instruments, inspiring thoughts of Arabain Nights

"Centennial Legend" is beautiful and haunting, with an ephermeral quality.

 "Wild Chase" starts with traditional instruments, giving it a tribal, Indian, feel, before soaring into something that would best be described as folk-inspired metal.

"And the Road Goes on" opens with Sabine's sweet warbling. The lass has beautiful vocal range.

"What You Leave Behind" is followed by the slower "Elsewhere", with its piano accompaniment.

"October Sky" is a rather more powerful and heavier number.

The ethereal "Canterville Prophecy" leads into the epic "Canterville Ghost".

We conclude with the bonus track "On Sacred Ground" which is both haunting and ghostly, the sort of song that lingers in your mind after the last chord has faded.

Edenbridge  are a damned fine band, one of my favourite of the "female lead symphonic metal" genre - rich with emotion and a full array of more classical instruments, blending together to unleash a sound that is at once melodic and beautiful, haunting and ephermeral. I will give this album my first 10/10.


* Why, do you think, so many of these bands start with "E"? Is it to make my decision on which E CD to listen to first more difficult?

Within Temptation - The Unforgiving (2011)

I have randomly selected the cd to begin this new blog with - and it is from Dutch symphonic metal band, Within Temptation.

Formed in 1996, Within Temptation have released a number of albums, which have moved from the symphonic beauty of "Mother Earth" and towards a more commercial, reminiscent-of-Evanesence sound.

This is their 2011 release and one of the more recent cds I have purchased (since the 2011 earthquake closed our local CD store, my purchasing has been severely limited - I have also realised quite how many cds I own that I don't really "know".

It is a handsome looking set, with a slip in case that comes with the CD and a DVD, along with a large folded poster. On the back of the poster are a number of names - people that promoted the release via Facebook, I do believe. The lyrics booklet is illustrated with line-art sketches, presumably from the comic book.

There is a comic book series available, and several short films, which are included with the "special edition" on a DVD. The short films are haunting and weird. The first three are all in black and white, with dubious syncing between lips and audio (a flaw? intentional? I know not) and they are moody and somewhat melancholic, leading into the song they represent. I have yet to figure out how they tie together. The fourth is colour and seems a little more upbeat, merging with the song ("Where is the Edge").

The songs themselves are fairly similar, with catchy choruses and the vocals seem to vary little in pitch. The music is more atmospheric, but is let down by the fairly repetitive nature of the songs.

"Utopia", on the DVD (not the cd) with Chris Jones (a British singer) is radio-friendly pop. It does have a nice melody to it, but it lacks rather in majesty and power.

Now, for the analysis of the CD itself:

It opens with a nicely eerie intro, with a woman declaring how someone has to save the world, so "Why not me?" - this intro is extended on the DVD. "Shot in the Dark", the following song, starts promisingly, with some nicely atmospheric chords before the vocals begin and bring with them the commercial vibe and rhythm that in synonymous with this album.

"In the Middle of the Night" begins in fairly typical rock style.Vocals are a little different at first, but ultimately become the same as the earlier. Some nicely atmospheric bits on behalf of the other musicians.

"Faster" has the full on commercial vibe going - by now Sharon's voice is beginning to irritate me somewhat, in a manner that it never did in the earlier albums. Very catchy, good rhythm, I can see it being popular to the mainstream.

MAINSTREAM.

Where is the dark atmosphere and the haunting folkish feel that I use to cherish with this band?

Well, the next track ("Fire and Ice") begins with a haunting melody and piano. Promising?
Oh yes, she's singing at a lower pitch. Very nice. Let's hope it remains that way... It does, although her pitch still seems a little on the slightly shrill side... Much better atmosphere in this song, however.

Let's see how "Iron" follows it up. Well, rockier beginning. Are we going to see any variation in the vocals? Somewhat. Chorus is nice and catchy.

"Where is the Edge" has a nice beginning, but then falls back into the same pattern as the earlier songs.

"Sinead" is somewhat more haunting, and followed up by the rather beautiful "Lost". From here in the album continues to be reasonably decent - or maybe I'm getting used to it. I enjoyed "Murder."

We're back into the rock with "A Demon's Fate" but after the slower preceding tracks, it provides a decent variation in pace.

Finally, we conclude with the beautiful and haunting "Stairway to the Stars", which is much more of the Within Temptation that I have grown to love. Her voice is pitched slightly lower and the music flows in haunting counterpoint. A lovely way to finish.

Individually, the songs are quite enjoyable - and I could imagine leaping around the lounge and maybe doing a bit of headbanging to them. However, listening to this CD from beginning to end is a little tedious, as the songs are all fairly similar in vocals and rhythm - it comes across as somewhat uninspired and monotonous. Best listened to in short doses, or randomly muddled up on your playlist.

I give this album 6/10. It had some damned fine moments, but overall was a little bit too commercial for me.