A debut album that deserves to be noticed.
Well, this is something quite unique. A Spanish-based Symphonic Metal band writing a concept album. Hailing from Malaga, not exactly the epicentre of Metal, this young band have taken their influences from Rhapsody, Nightwish and Stratovarius and created a totally self-financed and produced debut album that deserves to be noticed.
Although the production by guitarist Niko Hartmann is slightly compressed and hampers the separation, it is possible to hear everything that's going on, but you really have to listen, so if you're putting it on as 'background' music it will just sound like a wall of furious guitars, pounding rhythms and wailing vocals. It took me at least three spins to start to appreciate the finer points and I'm glad that I gave it the time. With no bio or press release it appears to be based around a mythical land of Naryll, it features tales of Gods, Goddesses, Tyrants, Heroes, Beasts and Beauties. Salanthine is the Goddess of Frost (presumably that's her on the front cover) and it's full of tales and derring-do to defeat the evil that exists in their world.
It's rather overblown and complex, conceptual and downright hard to fathom, but curiously whimsical, magical, and escapist. All the players are talented individuals with Hartmann and fellow guitarist Alvaro Sabin trying to outdo each other on the pentatonic scale, drummer Andy Montalbetti doubles up with terrific double bass drumming and clever percussion but also providing the orchestration that gives the Symphonic pieces gravitas. You have bassist Antonio Motta providing some galloping rhythms and rumbling bass lines, Cesar Rodriguez behaving like a possessed Rick Wakeman on keys and piano, and some lyrically deft off-timing vocalising by the operatic soprano Ana Moronta. What's not to like?
'Farewell' appears to have been released as a single and it's a good choice as it's one of their more accessible songs, featuring a male/female duet between Moronta and Anamnesis vocalist Alexis Serrano atop a piano intro with melodic guitars. 'Frozen Salanthine' also gets my vote as a good melodic accessible song and I know Symphonic/Speed Metal freaks will dig this. It's dramatic, it's ambitious but these young Spaniards have done a terrific job.
Carl Buxton
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