Considering who's behind this I must say that this one really let's me down!
Jonah Weingarten, keyboards, who has had such a big influence on the sound in
Pyramaze and Yan Levithan, guitars, the guy responsible for the sound and
direction of Avain are the main contributors to this album; the first one from
Echoterra.
Bordering on symphonic metal they have opted to incorporate female vocalist Suvi
Virtanen, who has worked with Therion as a part of their live choir from 2003 to
2005, into their sound, moving a bit away from their normal turf. The songs
leave plenty of room for her to shine, but she fails to impress, and the
deliverance is mediocre at best.
But what really kills the pleasure is the horrible sound, one of the worst
productions I've heard in some time; no balance and muddy. Only two songs pass
the bar of acceptance; "The Wind surrounds you" and the orchestral version of
"Say, Try, Lie, Die". Two well written and executed emotional ballads that shows
the potential within the band. The rest is forgettable partly due to the bad
sound.
Not exactly what I had hoped for, and sadly an easy forgettable album that don't
stand many chances in the fierce competition... and I will prefer their main
bands any day of the week.
Next!
