The Venn diagram of people who like symphonic metal and people who like Christmas music is most certainly not a circle, but it is statistically probable that there is some kind of overlapping area in there. Is From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas) (earMUSIC) the perfect album for this niche crowd? NO.Continue reading
International symphonic metal sensation Tarja is no stranger to cover songs and albums. She is not releasing a holiday album, Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas), due out on November 17th from earMUSIC. Watch the video from her first single – ‘ O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ below.Continue reading
If Doro is the Queen of Heavy Metal, then Tarja is the Queen of both Power and Symphonic Metal. Her latest live album Luna Park Ride (Universal Records) is proof that she is deserving of the title. The tracks are a full sampling of both her solo career and her career with Nightwish which lasted from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.
This concert takes place in Buenos Aires for the most part. Although far from her native Finland, her fan base is still large and they make their excitement to be there heard; it can sometimes be an interference with the sound quality of the album. In the first few songs it sounds as though there are fans yelling right next to the recording equipment. However, this is the only serious complaint about an otherwise fantastic live performance.
‘Dark Star’ starts the show off with the right energy. It is also the only track that features vocals from someone other than Tarja which makes it clear that it is very much her show. ‘Stargazers’ is one of the heavier songs performed during the show probably because it is a Nightwish song. It reminds listeners that Tarja can work with any kind of sound. The strings during ‘In For a Kill’ nail the sinister and panicked feeling of the song. It is clear that her backing band knows exactly how to work with her.
The most fun the listener has during the album is close to the end with a medley of ‘Where Were You Last Night’, ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’, and ‘Living on a Prayer’. They blend together seamlessly and it is almost surprising just how well it is pulled off. It feels more spontaneous than planned and that is what makes it enjoyable. This is also where Tarja begins really to interact with her audience telling them to “really have some fun” and speaking to them in Spanish.
Even without Nightwish, whom many credit with establishing symphonic metal, Tarja’s popularity has not wavered. Her voice remains as strong and impressive as ever. Luna Park Ride is a great addition to the music library of any symphonic metal and female vocalist fan.
8.5/10
MELISSA CAMPBELL
To find any release in this day and age that shows any degree of being unique is a rarity; a prime example being the array of bands that are ushered into the Prog umbrella despite such close resemblances to their peers. So the fact that upcomers The Great Discord have created something that sounds fresh and cutting edge, and on their début release is quite astonishing.
Taken from a term loosely meaning a heightened state of expression or emotion, Duende (Metal Blade) sets the mind-boggling right from the start. First song ‘The Aging Man’ creeps into life with an atmospheric passage with a haunting chant like vocal in the background, seemingly setting up for something near melodic and progressive black metal territory before it spins into an entirely new direction more akin to a Meshuggah influence. Just as things begin to feel like they are settling they take a dynamic shift once again, altering between such staccato riffing, to more morose, drifting melodies through to the grandiose. Strikingly these mismatched styles never appear disjointed or thrown together.
The perfect complement to this sheer diversity is Fia Kempe’s chameleon like vocals. For the most part delicate and even seductive; her execution moulds perfectly to each and every pace and style; even encompassing harsh vocals on the heavier ‘Selfaeta’ and even a mournful tone on the ballad ‘Woes’, reminiscent of the likes of Tarja or Liv Kristine.
For a début album to show some signs of true forward thinking on any level is impressive enough, but for The Great Discord to show such high levels of progressive movement in their range of styles, their execution and even to their mystique and cinematic vision shows that they are a band to look at for the future. At times it is easy to pinpoint influences to some degree, but very few acts can display such a wide range and make it sound both their own and all flowing.
8.0/10
CHRIS TIPPELL