Gothic Metal

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    Opera Diabolicus - 1614 (2012)

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    With a very powerful and eerie atmosphere, Opera Diabolicus delivers a very powerful and theatrical Gothic Metal release that should not be taken lightly. “1614” features a wide variety of vocal appearances by Snowy Shaw and Mats Leven from Therion, Niklas Isfeldt  of Dream Evil, Jake E of the yucky Amaranthe, and Camilla Alisander-Ason. Focusing more on the theatrical aspect of things, the band (a two-person unit) crates very eerie moments that will haunt your dreams.

    After the creepy “Overture”, “The Gates” fully deliver a very familiar Therion-esque vibe minus the overly pretentious approach that Christofer Johnsson has decided to take in the last few years. The somber atmosphere is top notch and this song really made us picture a musical/play setting for this album. The over-the-top keyboards and choir sections are magical and the dramatic vocal performances make this song plain genius.

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    Lapis Lazuli – A Justified Loss (2011)

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    Cranking out their second full-length release in 2011, today we have Lapis Lazuli and “A Justified Loss”. In this release the band delivers over 43 minutes of high-octane Symphonic/Gothic Metal graced by the beautiful vocals of Frida Eurenius. If you are a fan of Visions of Atlantis, Epica, Sirenia, and Xandria, you will love this release.

    After the traditional instrumental opener “Facing Demons”, the band comes at us with the bombastic “Leaving Scars”. In this song the keyboards are cranked up to 11 and provide a lush background to Frida’s vocals. While the band’s approach to the genre is very typical and traditional, the songs presented in “A Justified Loss” are very entertaining and demand a high-replay count in order to fully digest them.

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    Voices of Destiny – Power Dive (2012)

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    Almost two years have passed since Voices of Destiny’s excellent debut album titled “From the Ashes”, this 2012 they return with “Power Dive”. In their sophomore release, the band delivers nine very well crafted tracks (plus intro and outro tracks) that will surely be a complete hit with fans of the band. Continuing where they left of with “From the Ashes”, the band focuses their sound around Maike’s excellent vocals and the over the top symphonic arrangements that Lukas Palme provides.

    “Power Dive” is an excellent release that if you don’t mind it sounding very similar to their first album, it will be one of your top 10 albums of the year. However, if you are looking for some evolution in the band’s sound, you will not be finding it. There are a few changes here and there, like more complex guitar lines and a bit more elaborated orchestrations, but the formula of success is still the same as on “From the Ashes”.

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    Grey November – The Fall of the House of Usher (2011)

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    All the way from France, today we have Grey November and their latest full-length release “The Fall of the House of Usher”. This two person band commanded by multi-instrumentalist Cédric Seyssiecq delivers a much needed dose of Funeral Doom Metal with some Gothic Doom elements filled with melancholy and despair, just perfect for the cold winter months.

    Opening with the 12 minute epic “Pendant Toute Une Journée D'automne”, this song nicely evolves from a Funeral Doom piece into a more powerful Gothic Doom track. Featuring the angelic vocals of Marieke Delanghe, this song nicely builds up expectation for what is next to come in this release. Continuing with a mixture of Shape of Despair and Elend, “Roderick Usher” provides atmospheric keyboards accompanied by ethereal female vocals and some creepy spoken male sections. A few riffs here and there nicely bring this song down to Doom territory.

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    Illuminata - World So Cold (2011)

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    Seeminly out of nowhere, today we have one of the most impressive Gothic/Symphonic Metal releases of 2011 with Illuminata’s “World So Cold” release. Featuring ex-Visions of Atlantis vocalist
    Joanna Nieniewska, Katarzyna Nieniewska on vocals and flute, and Sabrina on backing vocals and keyboards, this band has what it takes to improve on Coronatu’s dual female vocal approach to the genre.

    Not only relying on pretty voices (and girls), “World So Cold” features very intricate compositions that nicely blend orchestrations with powerful guitars and very catchy melodies. Opening with the traditional momentum-building track, this release quickly explodes into a keyboard driven anthem “Cold Arms Warm Hands”. In this track you can easily see similarities with bands like Epica, but Illuminata has a very different sound when it comes to the singing.

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    Coronatus – Terra Incognita (2011)

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    Returning after two years of releasing one of Infernal Masquerade’s favorite albums of all time “Fabula Magna”, today we have Coronatus and their latest opus “Terra Incognita”. While many bands can play Gothic Metal, there are only a few that call pull-off the dual female vocal approach like Coronatus can do. However, we have been a bit skeptical on how the band would sound with none the singers of the previous album returning.

    With all doubts quickly silenced, Coronatus shows that regardless of the singers “Terra Incognita” is still one hell of an album regardless of the band’s singers. With Ada Flechtner returning to the line-up and Mareike Makosch being the other new singer, the band still features their characteristic dual-vocal approach that sets them apart from the heaps of Gothic Metal bands. With the addition of new keyboard player Psalm, the band provides us with 12 tracks of excellently crafted top-notch Gothic Metal.

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    Nemesea – The Quiet Resistance (2011)

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    Four years have passed since Nemeasea’s last album “In Control” and on this 2011 they return stronger than ever with the very well crafted “The Quiet Resistance” release. Morphing from a Symphonic Gothic Metal outfit to a more alternative and fresher Gothic Rock sound, the band manages to keep things ‘heavy’ and not sound overly Pop-ish like many Gothic Rock/Metal bands have been doing in the last years.

    Lead by the charismatic and powerful vocals of Manda Ophuis, Nemesea’s sound has matured greatly over the years and now they deliver confident and efficient songs that go straight to the point and never get dull. The band’s alternative and almost mainstream sound is still on their own terms and they never sound like a mash up of Britney Spears with some distorted guitars thrown into the mix (hint: Amaranthe).

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    Visions of Atlantis – Maria Magdalena (2011)

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    With its latest incarnation, Visions of Atlantis delivered earlier this year one of their best albums to date with “Delta”. In “Maria Magdalena” follows the same path of showing off the amazing vocal chemistry of Maxi Nil and Mario Plank. Featuring six songs, this new MCD will keep fans satisfied after listening to “Delta” hundreds of times.

    The opening track of this release “Maria Magdalena” is a cover of 80’s synth-pop artist Sandra, and it is actually a pretty decent and listenable cover. The tempo of the song has been nicely increased and with added distorted guitars sounds like a million dollars. The duet between Mario and Maxi is very similar to the original song, but with that nice Metal edge we expect from this band. The catchy chorus section is also nicely transferred to the VoA sound.

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    Meden Agan – Erevos Aenaon (2011)

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    As one of the most professional sounding self-released album we have received in 2011, Meden Agan’s “Erevos Aenaon” can easily compete with any big-budget Gothic/Symphonic Metal album this year. With such a rich sound and excellent production, Meden Agan is ready to make a run at the spotlight and they sure have a good shot thanks to this excellent release.

    Opening with “Black Sky”, the band immediately establishes its bombastic sound thanks to heavy keyboard use, pounding guitars, and angelic female vocals. The band’s female vocalist, Iliana Tsakiraki, delivers a very emotional performance that is greatly (and sometimes annoyingly) enhanced by extreme vocal layering. Her voice is very good and has some hints of Amberian Dawn and similar bands, not too sweet and not overly done like many classically trained singers come across.

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    Acelsia – Quietude (2011)

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    Making its way from Norway to our little corner of the world, today we have Acelsia’s latest EP titled “Quietude”. In this four-song EP the band shows their very effective approach to mixing Gothic and Doom Metal influences with some hints of Rock. Lead by the enchanting vocals of Malene Markussen, the band delivers 18 minutes of pure melancholic music that will move you one way or another.

    Opening with powerful riffs on “All these Years”, the band nicely transitions with enchanting female vocals and well constructed Doom-like riffs. While the band’s sound is not fully depressive or as down-tempo as regular Gothic Doom, you can still feel the melancholy behind the hearfelt songs presented in this release. “Happiness Prevails” opens with some weaping guitars and quickly transforms, this skill is probably Acelsia’s most interesting feature since the songs morph from one direction to another very seamlessly and effectively.

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