Hump Day Hot Ticket: Walk in Darkness “Walk Like Heroes”

Walk in Darkness, with Nicoletta Rosellini

In my entry last week, I mentioned that Italy has produced some great bands on the European metal scene. The name of this blog is a tribute to one of my favorite Italian bands, Lacuna Coil. So for the second week in a row I am turning my attention towards Italy, and sharing some more music with you that I think deserves some recognition.

Described as “mysterious gothic metal”, Walk in Darkness has a similar characteristic to another band I wrote about several weeks ago, Hail Sagan. Like Hail Sagan, Walk in Darkness consists of musicians that keep their identities private; using long, hooded cloaks to conceal themselves, and allowing their female vocalist to stand out as the identifiable member of the group. In the case of Walk in Darkness, the female voice belongs to Nicoletta Rosellini, who is also the frontwoman of another Italian band, Kalidia. Nicoletta is credited as a guest vocalist, but it is her face that is seen in their music videos.

The band's latest video for “Walk Like Heroes” is a dark, doomy tune that features contrasting images of Nicoletta riding around in a huge limousine on a sunny day, yet she is alone and pensive among the bright imagery. The other image is of the band performing in a dim, dank dwelling; while Nicoletta stands in a foggy archway, dressed in black and looking completely at ease among the dark imagery.

For more information on Walk in Darkness, visit the band's official website.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Overtures “Artifacts”

Band photo

When discussing European power metal, there are always those particular countries that are mentioned in the conversation: Germany (where many believe power metal originated; with bands such as The Scorpions, Accept, and Helloween), Finland (where bands like Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica helped to make power metal the country's biggest export), and Sweden (the home of power metal's undisputed guitar god, Yngwie Malmsteen).

However, plenty of other European countries are producing their own brand of top-notch bands, such as Italy's Overtures; a band infusing the power metal theatrics of Kamelot and the progressive intricacy of Dream Theater. The music has all the flair of power and the complexity of prog, but there is an added heaviness to give the music that extra kick.

In their latest video for the track “Artifacts” (from their album of the same name), regret seems to be the concept behind the video's storyline. We begin with the opening shot of a coffee cup, with a man looking down at a family photo in his hands, while empty picture frames hang on the wall behind him as the band plays in a dimly-lit room. As the story progresses, we see the main character frolicking around with various women, and then the same shot we see in the beginning is now of a woman, looking at the same pictures with tears. Assumedly this is the main character's wife or love interest. The pictureless frames continue to remain the central symbol throughout, as the couple's turbulent relationship unfolds on camera and both are left separately staring at the empty frames while the photo of their broken family stares out at the viewer.

Artifacts is now available via Sleaszy Rider Records or the band's official website.

Special thanks to Nicoletta Rossellini.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Sorronia “Lost in Falling” (live)

Photo courtesy of StarWish Photography

One of my favorite newer bands on the symphonic metal scene, Hungary's Sorronia is representing the next generation of dynamic female-fronted European metal with classical vocals. Since the release of their debut album Words of Silence in 2013, Sorronia has moved right up the ranks in their genre. Touring with everyone from the legendary Tarja to Xandria to Nightwish, Sorronia has proven in a few short years that they can hold their own right alongside some of the best on the scene.

In this live video for the song “Lost in Falling”, you can see for yourselves the kind of performers they are, and just why so many well-respected bands in the genre hold them in such high regard. Vocalist Anna Király commands the stage in her trademark red-and-black dress with her soaring high vocals, while the rest of the band rocks it out and tears it up on stage. This video comes from the band's recent performance opening for Nightwish for the second time. As Sorronia continues to work on their second album, it won't be long before they are the show headliners!

For more information on Sorronia, visit their Facebook page, or visit their SoundCloud page to hear their “Betrayal” EP.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Moxy and the Influence “Stomp You Down”

Photo credit: Lyn Marie

As a fan of female-fronted metal, it is always particularly cool to see an all-female metal band on the scene. As an old-timer metalhead who sometimes wonders what the hell the kids are listening to these days, it also warms my blackened metal heart to see young talent on the scene, waving the metal flag and picking up the mantle for a younger generation of rockers.

Such is the case with Moxy and the Influence, yet another band hailing from my native Southern California. Ranging in age from late teens/early ’20s to the youngest bandmember being only 13 years of age, Moxy and the Influence is already showing a huge amount of potential for such a young age, which you will see in their video for the track “Stomp You Down”, which is chock-full of heavy guitar riffs, pounding drums, and powerful vocals.

The video starts out with the band in the middle of nowhere: some old, dusty shack in an old, dusty ghost town (probably filmed somewhere around where I live now!). Then the band breaks out into a headbangers' jam that will knock your socks off! The bandmembers are shown jamming on their instruments in various spots of this barren wasteland and smashing old television sets painted with graffiti reading certain negative phrases and words. The song is absolutely fierce, and the video is pretty impressive too. I look forward to hearing more from these gals in the future!

For more information on Moxy and the Influence, or to purchase their latest EP, The Best Revenge, visit their official website.