Symphonic Metal

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    Moonlight Haze - Lunaris (2020)

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    Unleashing a bombastic and lively Symphonic/Power Metal release, today we have Italy’s Moonlight Haze with “Lunaris”. Delivering almost 56 minutes of high-octane music, this band borrows from the greats to create a very lively and personable sound of their own. Highly recommended for fans of bands like Sirenia, Nightwish, Delain, etc., this release features both intensity, a hard rocking attitude, alongside catchiness and excellent musicianship.

    The album kicks off with the soaring vocal arrangements of “Till The End”, the band’s vocalist Chiara Tricarico nicely provides a signature staple to the band’s sound while showing the versatility of changing between classical style to a more playful typical heavy metal style singing. This versatility is what allows tracks like “The Rabbit Of The Moon”, “Lunaris”, and “Under Your Spell” to deliver a wide spectrum of styles, as the band crafts effective power ballads and catchy heavy guitar laden pieces.

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    Beyond the Black - Hørizøns (2020)

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    Fronted by the talented Jennifer Haben, today we have Germany’s latest Symphonic/Gothic Metal export Beyond the Black and their fourth full-length release “Hørizøns”. Slowly climbing the ranks of a very crowded genre(s), this German outfit is ready for the global spotlight with their dynamic and engaging music that falls more on the Metal side than most similar outfits. If you like catchy and hard rocking female fronted tunes, this is a band to keep on your radar.

    The release does not waste any time in delivering soaring vocal arrangements, powerful guitar leads, and dramatic orchestrations on the title track opener. The band’s distinctively heavy sound is quite refreshing as most bands in this genre(r) are usually leaning towards more ‘consumer friendly’ sounds. “Misery” and “Wounded Healer” clearly showcase that the band means business with a high-octane pace and lush instrumentation. Being experts in crafting catchy melodies, tracks like “Some Kind of Monster” and “Golden Pariahs” have a certain (mid-career) Within Temptation meets Delain vibe.

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    Aevum - Multiverse (2020)

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    Hailing from Italy, today we have the superbly lively Symphonic/Power Metal release “Multiverse” from the band Aevum. Delivering nearly one hour of high-octane music, this release will certainly brighten your day and infuse neck-pain inducing headbanging onslaughts. Recommended for fans of bands like Sonata Arctica, Avantasia and Rhapsody, this album is both bombastic and well crafted.

    The release kicks off with the dynamic opener, “The Pilgrim”, this track showcases most of the band’s tricks as it combines clean female and male vocals, harsh screams and dramatic guitar leads. Not losing the momentum, the band continues with bombastic tracks like “Spark of Life”, “Tair”, “The Time Machine”, which feature excellent arrangements, crafty vocal melodies and superb instrumentation. Showing a darker side, we have one of our favorites “Black Honeymoon”, a mellower and more sinister song than the first ones.

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    Diabulus In Musica - Euphonic Entropy (2020)

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    Hailing from Spain, Diabulus In Musica is a band that has passed under the radar to many fans of Symphonic Metal. However, their music has always been top-notch and up to par with genre greats such as Epic, Delain, etc. With “Euphonic Entropy” the band casts a wider net with a few more influences incorporated to their already bombastic style.

    After the traditional intro, “Race to Equilibrium” delivers over-the-top dramatic orchestrations, rich choir arrangements and powerful growls. This track makes a great statement as to the band’s chops to deliver complex songs that are both intense and complex in nature. Opening with crushing guitar riffs, “Nuevo Rumbo” and “Otio” have a very Epica-esque feeling that is nicely shifted once Zuberoa and Gorka sing in a different language, immediately challenging the listener’s idea that most songs in the genre are usually sung in English.

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    Delain - Apocalypse & Chill (2020)

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    Consistently pushing their sound and delivering excellent releases, today we have Delain’s fifth full-length release “Apocalypse & Chill”. With a very modern concept and image, the band unleashes 13 hyper catchy songs that are full of lush orchestrations and the signature angelic vocals of Charlotte Wessels. If you are a fan of the band, this release will certainly rank among their best, after a small adaptation period.

    Opening with style, “One Second” sets a very bombastic and explosive mood. The band’s well oiled machinery seemingly effortlessly crafts one intense and lush opener. As the band experiments with some electronic elements on tracks like “We Had Everything”, “To Live is to Die”, and “Chemical Redemption”, we get a slight modern Within Temptation and Amaranthe edge, but of course with Delain’s brilliant balance of melody and crunchy guitars. While the band hasn’t gone full-on mainstream Pop-ish Metal, this release does hedge them a bit more into that space.

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    Serenity - The Last Knight (2020)

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    Unleashing one of the most cinematic and lively releases of 2020, today we have Serenity and “The Last Knight”. Featuring over 47 minutes of high-octane over-the-top Symphonic Power Metal, this album is ready to rock all fans of the band and gain them some more. Slowly over the years the band has been refining their sound and as a well-oiled machine, this release showcases their best attributes delivered through eleven intense songs.

    Setting a very regal mode with the album title track as the opener, we get the band’s lush arrangements leading into the explosive “Invictus”. Georg Neuhauser again delivers commanding lead vocals surrounded by dramatic choirs and killer guitar leads. This type of explosiveness as gained wide recognition to the band, and tracks like “Set the World on Fire” and “Keeper of the Knights” majestically demonstrate the band’s bombasticness.

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    Amberian Dawn - Looking for You (2020)

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    Unleashing their latest bombastic Symphonic/Power Metal opus, today we have Amberian Dawn with “Looking for You”. Featuring a very retro and yet futuristic vibe, the band delivers over 40 minutes of lush music filled with captivating vocals and superbly catchy arrangements. If you are a fan of bands like Avantasia, Sonata Arctica and similar, you will not be disappointed by this release.

    The album opens with the sonically brilliant “United”. Delivering retro synths that give you an 80’s vibe, this track is quite catchy as this majestically pairs with Capri’s signature vocals. With a heavy emphasis on dramatic futuristic (for the 80’s) synths, tracks like “Eternal Fire Burning”, “Looking for You”, and the explosive “Two Blades”, create a very upbeat and playful atmosphere. The dynamic sound of the band nicely keeps the listener engaged thanks to its craftiness.

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    Visions of Atlantis - Wanderers (2019)

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    Opening with “Renegades - A Lost Generation”, we get a Wintersun-esque oriental-influenced opening that transforms into a full on headbanging jam. The band’s style is as catchy as always, but quite different. The dramatic keyboards and catchy riffs are quite engaging and powerful. Mixing in some clean vocals and epic chorus sections, “Tornado” continues with a high-octane vibe and very polished melodic arrangements. With “Himmel Und Feuer” the band keeps up the lively atmosphere with yet another hyper catchy tune that will be stuck in your head for days to come. Just think of a mixture of Laibach, Wintersun and hints of VNV Nation mixed together.

    The album starts very strong with the lush “Release My Symphony”, the longest and most dramatic song in this release. We particularly love the mood changes throughout the song and the very engaging chorus section. Having a certain early Nightwish vibe, the album is designed to highlight the masterful orchestrations and vocals. As tracks like “Heroes of the Dawn” and “A Journey to Remember” make their way, the band nicely plays with the level of intensity of the music, allowing listeners to settle into the journey brought forth in this release.

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    Timo Tolkki’s Avalon - Return to Eden (2019)

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    Being huge fans of Stratovarius, we have always been following what Timo Tolkki is up to since he was one of the main reasons we loved that band. Finally after four years, his Avalon project returns with “Return to Eden”, an album featuring over 50 minutes of brilliant Symphonic Power Metal. Filled with the traditional start-studded guest appearances and engaging compositions, this release continues Timo’s legacy as one of the premier Power Metal composers.

    The album starts with a bang after setting a very epic mood with the intro, in “Promises” we are instantly treated to Timo’s guitar wizardry and poignant Power Metal songwriting skills. The vocal arrangements are masterful as always, perfectly delivered by guest male vocalists Todd Michael Hall, Zak Stevens and Eduard Hovinga. Songs with duets like the album title track featuring Mariangela Demurtas, or the magical “Hear My Call”, featuring none other than Anneke van Giersbergen on vocals, are just the signature style of Avalon and we love it.

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    Fleshgod Apocalypse - Veleno (2019)

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    Hailing from Italy, Fleshgod Apocalypse has stormed the Symphonic Metal scene with their highly refined orchestral brutality. Perfectly blending dramatic orchestrations with complex Death Metal elements, this band delivers some of the most extreme melodic music ever written. With “Veleno”, the band further expands on their heavier side with brutal passages, and on their more melodic and theatrical side with very dramatic vocal arrangements and mellow interludes.

    Opening with the ravaging brutality of “Fury”, the band makes their skills do the talking since the first song. Perfectly delivering crushing Death Metal riffs and growls in between dramatic choral arrangements, this track is quite a way to start the release. Moving on to “Carnivorous Lamb” and “Sugar”, the band showcases their dramatic orchestral layers and vicious guitar leads in yet another brutal piece. The combination of male harsh vocals, mad male clean vocals, and sweet female clean vocals works quite well and adds extra contrast to these tracks.

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