Märchenbilder - Flickering Truth (2013)

Featuring a great ensemble of talented musicians, today we have Märchenbilder and their very impressive debut release “Flickering Truth”. Formed by James Slainmann (guitars and keyboards) and Julie Belanger Roy (violin, vocals, and viola), the band has since recruited drummer Yanic Bercier (Gone in April, ex-Quo Vadis) as permanent members before the release of this excellent debut. Playing a very bombastic and symphonic Gothic Metal, this band is ready to make their mark on this very crowded and highly competitive genre.

Immediately after a very dramatic prelude, the song “Märchenbilder” unleashes the goods with haunting female vocals surrounded by excellent orchestrations and a very dramatic and classical vibe. The use of the violin greatly adds to the overall atmosphere of the music, reminding us of the work of Pete Johansen of Tristania and The Sins of Thy Beloved fame. The band’s versatility is show in engaging tracks like “Tel'aran'rhiod” and “Awaken”, were the band combines dramatic string instruments with plenty of different vocal styles.

Reminding us of Elend and EvenSong, “Two Paths” is one of our favorite tracks in this release thanks to its powerful vocal performance and excellent instrumentation. The flow of this release is very carefully planned, and after a short interlude (“All Roses Shall Fade”), “Premonition” opens with Orphaned Land-esque riffs and the signature dramatic sound of the band. Yanic’s excellent drumming skills are clearly found through the album with some very interesting patterns that nicely hold the songs together and at the same time are quite intricate without being overly flashy.

For the fans of Folk/Medieval music, “Elegy” is a very nice piece that showcases once again the band’s creative powers and nicely changes the flow of the album. Closing strong, “A Step Back In Time” features some very cool keyboards and a very magical pace that shows that Epica has nothing on this excellent band. At the end of this release we find an orchestral version of “Two Paths” which showcases the Märchenbilder’s unparalleled composition skills and a different take on this already excellent tune.

Overall, “Flickering Truth” is quite an exciting release from a very promising band. For the duration of this release, Märchenbilder delivers magical compositions that transport the listener to the band’s own world. If you are a fan of bands like Trail of Tears, Tristania, Epic, etc., better pick up this release and be prepared to hear a lot more from this band in the future.

Label: Self-Released

Release: May 30th, 2013

Genre: Symphonic Metal

Country: Canada