At first glance, this band has it all:
1. a front woman who not only looks like a million but also has the voice of an angel
2. solid musicianship
3. talent for putting together fairly complex yet fresh and interesting songs.

Now, then, why isn’t ‘The Forgotten Goddess’ one of the albums of the year? The real turn-down is the sound of the album. I don’t know if any of you recall the guitar sound on the Iced Earth demos and the debut album? I do. And I also remember that I didn’t like it at all. Echoes of Eternity have used the very same guitar sound for some reason, and I’m not amused.

Moreover, the otherwise sublime voice of Francine Broucher is completely detached from the rest of the production and hovers above it like an angel who lost her footing. Especially on the first track, Burning With Life, this is very obvious (and sounds downright odd).

A shame that the sound becomes an issue, because it removes focus from the fact that this could have been a really, really good debut!

Better luck next time.