2004-07-08
Not all female vocalist headed metal bands sound line Nightwish, and Amaran are proof of it, for better or worse.
This, their second album, released through France's Listenable Records, is a strange amalgam of Thrash metal riffing with gothic like vocals and melodies.
Had you taken the female vocals out, you would be left with a fine, extremely well-honed thrash metal band, deploying some of the best metal riffs this side of Finland,
Yet, the vocals are an ingredient which cannot be put aside and weighted separately, since they make the band into an altogether different concoction.
The vocals are feminine sounding, yet quite powerful, not in the operatic meaning, but in the emotion filled and Goth-like way, they would have fitted well in any Goth band existing today, yet here, they create somewhat of a mixed bag.
While tracks such as Atropine benefit quite a lot from the combination of an excellent metal riff and the punchy female vocals, tracks such as inflict seem to be hindered somewhat by them, as they turn into more Goth like pieces, which do not fit the album's over all feeling, the use of more emotional and relationship based lyrics also send the band into uncharted territory, which would divide listeners across the middle.
Since the album befits from stellar production values, and most of the tracks work well, it's certainly recommended, but those expecting another Nightwish clone will not find that here, nor those expecting a normal thrash band, but people with more adventurous musical expectations will certainly enjoy this unique piece of metal.
Alon Miasnikov
