Album review: Beyond Forgiveness—The Great Wall (2017)

Album: The Great Wall

Artist: Beyond Forgiveness

Genre: Symphonic/gothic metal

Tracks: 10

Total time: 57:03

*Originally posted at the Female-Fronted Power Facebook page.

The symphonic metal scene in the United States has been rapidly growing over the last several years, and one of the bands at the forefront of this explosion is Colorado’s Beyond Forgiveness, who has shown with their perfect marriage of dark gothic melodies and grandiose symphonic arrangements, that they can hold their own with some of their more well-known European counterparts. Bringing back a sound reminiscent of the scene’s halcyon days, Beyond Forgiveness channels the best of early Tristania and classic Nightwish, giving us an interesting take on what either of these bands might have sounded like if they had not delved into other musical styles and kept strictly to the operatic vocals and classical-infused heaviness.

In 2016, Beyond Forgiveness made their first mark on the music world with their debut EP, The Ferryman’s Shore, which garnered rave reviews around the world and won the band respect outside of the United States. Now, nearly 2 years later, the band’s much-anticipated full-length follow-up is here, ready to fulfill the promise of its predecessor, as The Great Wall raises the bar for what is to come next.

From the moment the cadenced drumming taps in on the opening track “End of Time”, Beyond Forgiveness takes you on a musical journey; the songs averaging between 5-7 minutes. The two voices of Talia Hoit and Richard Marcus are the quintessential “beauty and the beast” dueling vocals that have become a hallmark of gothic-symphonic metal, and they do it so well. There is no overkill of the growly vocals; they know exactly when and how much to use them.

Talia’s voice is so powerful, especially on the title track, “The Great Wall”, where her vocals just soar into the stratosphere. “Sanctuary” starts off slow but comes in heavy, and Talia’s voice is so emotional on this track (one of the first songs from the new album that I heard, when I was given a special “sneak preview” of the album, still in the making at the time). “Imprisoned” is another beautifully dark, heavy tune where Richard’s guttural vocals provide just enough jarring contrast to give it that gothic edge. Guitarist Greg Witwer's guitar skills really shine on the instrumental “Interlude” midway through the album.

“Moment of Truth” is another track where the interplay between Talia’s clean vocals and Richard’s guttural voice are perfectly balanced, as well as the symphonic and gothic elements of the music, both are evenly matched here. So far this is my favorite track on the album. “Never Before” would be a perfect choice for a single or music video, it has that “crossover” potential with its sing-along chorus, and barely crosses the 5-minute threshold, making it accessible to a wider audience. If you ever wondered what Within Temptation and Nightwish would have sounded like if they wrote a song together in their early days, “Never Before” is probably as close as you could come to hearing it!

Beyond Forgiveness also has beautiful slow ballads too, as can be heard on the track “Dream Until I Sleep”. Talia’s vocals on this one will put tears in your eyes as she mournfully sings, “you’ve crossed over the edge, but you’ll always be mine…the silence is noise, I must remember your voice”. I’m putting this out there right now: I want the band to play this song at my funeral!

The band wastes no time returning to heavier songs right after that, “Fight ’Til the End” is Beyond Forgiveness at their gothic-symphonic best. It’s got the spooky, chilling gothic piano, the soaring, bombastic operatic vocals, and the imposing, brutal growling male voice. If you love Morten-era Tristania, then this is your kind of song. Beyond Forgiveness gives it their all on this one, making it all the more fitting of a song title and the perfect penultimate album track.

The final track, “Every Breath”, has a whimsical, folksy sound to it. In fact, it almost sounds like the music you would hear in The Lost Woods on a Legend of Zelda game! You almost feel like you are in a forest among the wood sprites, and Talia sings the voice of their people. It’s a perfect close to an album that takes the listener on such an adventure: this is a track that calms, winds down, and leaves you a little wistful that it has all come to an end.

The Great Wall has lived up to all the potential of the first EP, and then some! Beyond Forgiveness has grown a lot since The Ferryman’s Shore, and they were already off to an excellent start then. The band’s musical direction is clear, the songs are consistently good, and they can each stand alone; however, every song works together in a bigger picture to make a cohesive whole. If you are a fan of grand, sweeping, dramatic symphonic metal and also like a touch of sinister gothic gloom, then Beyond Forgiveness fills the void left behind by their earlier predecessors who have since gone on to other sounds and styles. If you are someone who thinks Nightwish hasn’t made a good album since Oceanborn, or that Tristania hasn’t been the same since Morten left, then Beyond Forgiveness is the perfect fit for you. Even if you are not one of those kinds of fans, if you like those albums or that era of music from those bands, then you will probably like Beyond Forgiveness just the same. At any rate, they are showing that the United States is no slouch in the symphonic metal department anymore, and we have some excellent music to offer that would make our European cohorts proud.

Thanks to Henk van Nieuwenhoven at Female-Fronted Power.

Femme-Metal Friday: Secret Rule “Imaginary World”

Band photo

Last weekend I reviewed the new album from Secret Rule, one of several bands from Italy that I have written about here before. Originally, this review was going to be written last week for another video entirely, but ultimately things work out as they are meant to, because now I get to review a brand-new video hot off the presses, on release day. Appropriately for Friday the 13th, the new Secret Rule video is for the very gothic track “Imaginary World”, featuring ex-Sirenia vocalist Ailyn Gímenez.

The video just screams pure goth: from the dark backgrounds, subdued lighting, freaky dim lights, and bewildered face of a child, all within the first few seconds. Ailyn and Secret Rule vocalist Angela di Vincenzo are standing perfectly still as the music builds up, and then everyone is in motion.

The object of the boy's fascination soon becomes clear as we see circus performers walking on their hands, juggling, and balancing on stilts. The band themselves appear as though they are performing within a circus tent, as scary clowns lurk in the shadows. In keeping to the song's title, we see that the little boy is viewing this all through a Viewmaster-looking contraption (or a virtual reality headset, for you younger folks?); everything we see are just the images created by the viewfinder. When he takes the headgear off, there is no one there but someone sweeping the floor. He is a mime or a clown, leaving us to wonder if this circus was part of the boy's “imaginary world” after all.

For more information on Secret Rule, visit their official Bandsintown page.

Album review: Secret Rule—The Key to the World (2017)

Album cover

Album: The Key to the World

Artist: Secret Rule

Genre: Melodic/gothic metal

Label: Pride & Joy Records

Tracks: 13

*Review originally posted at the Female-Fronted Power Facebook page*

Over the last few years, Italy's Secret Rule has been anything but a secret: drawing attention to themselves by recruiting talent from some of the biggest bands on the scene, Secret Rule's 2015 album Machination got a lot of notice from fans of the genre, stoking curiosity as to what their next project had to offer. Led by the strong, harmonious voice of Angela Di Vincenzo and guided by the musical hand of Sonata Arctica keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg, Secret Rule was striking a path away from the prestigious guest stars, and was unveiling their new band lineup on their third album, The Key to the World.

However, it would not be completely bereft of guest appearances: ex-Sirenia vocalist Ailyn Gimenez would lend her voice alongside Angela's for a rousing merger of strong and sweet on the dark, gothic track “Imaginary World”. Another duet is heard on the song “Twin Flames”, this time with Henning Basse (of MaYan and Firewind fame), sounding very much like the yin and yang complementary twin souls as their voices blend together like fitting puzzle pieces.

After the short instrumental title track starts things off, the album is driving, melodic, hard-hitting, and bombastic, with Angela's voice leading the charge. The single “Song of the Universe” reminds me a lot of fellow Italian band Macbeth, and perhaps those who are fans of bands like Delain or Triosphere could find a lot to enjoy about Secret Rule as well. “Empty World” sounds like a cross between Delain and Lacuna Coil. Songs like “A Reverie”, “Are You Gone?” (my personal favorite), and “I’m You” (undoubtedly the most experimental track on the album) introduce some elements of electronica while still being positively brutal. “The Lost Child” is a straightforward rockin’ tune that is sure to get a crowd going, while “No More” is a sad, tender ballad that will prompt the lighters to come out at a live show. There are more gothic/symphonic-sounding tracks, such as “Trip Of Destiny” and the final track “100 Poets (Calliope)”, which sounds like a nightmare inside a music box!

For those who enjoyed the last Secret Rule album, they continue to build on that momentum, and there will surely be a lot here to please fans. If you are new to the band, this is as good as any a place to get started. With outstanding work like this, it won't be long before Secret Rule is no secret any longer!

Special thanks to Henk van Nieuwenhoven at Female-Fronted Power.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Aggronymph “I Want You”

Band photo

One of my favorite newer bands on the scene right now, Aggronymph has a new video out and I can't wait to review it!

As I have written in past reviews, this band has a diverse sound to them, merging together all these different styles and fitting them together in such a wonderful way.

In the video for “I Want You”, there are some similarities to their previous video, “Moonlight”. There are shots of the band's hometown of Yichang, China (which has some very lovely scenery, I might add!). This time, there is daytime footage including the band's vocalist, Elain. She looks sad and pensive, matching the mood of the song as she walks down the city streets all alone. As evening comes, we see Elain among the busy city nightlife; sitting alone in a coffee shop, wandering aimlessly through shops, up stairs and down sidewalks, in the futile attempt to ease her loneliness. The video ends with Elain running through an empty field, as an aerial shot pans away to show the lone figure amidst the world that is still moving along.

For more information on Aggronymph, visit the band's official Facebook page.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Caligatum “Dante”

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Normally each week, I try to share a video that is fairly “hot off the presses”, or recent enough to check out while it is still new; but every now and again a video will come my way that has been out for a while, that I just have to share anyway.

Opening for bands such as Rhapsody and Dark Moor in their native México, Guadalajara's Caligatum is moving up the ranks in their local metal scene. Citing bands such as Tristania and Draconian as their musical influences, Caligatum's gothic sound and imagery really comes through in the video for their song “Dante”, which was released last year.

The video starts with a full moon and dark clouds, as a woman sits in a candle-lit room, looking over old papers with ancient writing, as a black cat curls up at her feet. The band plays in a dim setting with very minimal lighting. The woman is seen carrying some sort of cauldron, and again reading tarot cards. The exchange of “beauty and the beast” vocals between vocalist Arianna Dheva (who is rocking a very cool-looking headdress!) and the guttural male voice of guitarist Robert Noir is accompanied by imagery of the video's main female character standing in the middle of a pentagram, casting a spell. The video continues to alternate between shots of the band, and the woman standing in the mist, chanting her spell. A man shows up with a giant snake at one point, and things involving this invocation seem to take a bad turn from there! I won't give away the ending, but perhaps the phrase “be careful what you wish for” might come to mind.

For more information on Caligatum, visit their official website.

Special thanks to Demas Miller.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Walk in Darkness “Heavy Wings of Destiny”

Band photo

Here's another band I have written about before: Walk in Darkness, and surprise—they are from Italy! (I sure like writing about the Italian bands, don't I?)

If you remember the last time I wrote about this band, then you already know that Walk in Darkness is a band of musicians who opt to keep their identities a secret by wearing long, hooded cloaks in press photos and in videos (hence the band's name). Their main vocalist is Nicoletta Rosellini, frontwoman of symphonic metal band Kalidia, and guest vocalist on many other projects.

The band has a new album and a new video, “Heavy Wings of Destiny”. The video starts off with dark imagery: ominous gray clouds, crows, and skulls. The Walk in Darkness bandmembers are shown in their hoods with cobwebs around the opening so their faces cannot be seen, while Nicoletta leads the way in a black and gray dress, holding a lantern in the fog. She summons another person to join them: guest vocalist Emiliano Pasquinelli, who is providing the harsh male vocals on this track. More dark imagery: swords being drawn, crows flying, dead trees...at one point some lyrics flash on the screen, which is as good an introduction to the band as any: “We walk in dust, but we find music in desolation”. The lyric that follows is a nod to the band’s name: “We walk in darkness, but something shines in our tears”.

For more information on Walk in Darkness, or to purchase their new album, In the Shadows of Things, visit the band's official website.

Special thanks to Nicoletta Rosellini.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Aggronymph “Moonlight”

Band photo 

It's been a while since I've done a “repeat performance” featuring a band I have written about here before, but this has been a relatively slow week, and this video is still fairly new so I thought now was as good a time as any to do a write-up.

The last time I wrote about Aggronymph, their brand-new video “`Til Life Sets us Apart” had just premiered, and this video that I am reviewing now (“Moonlight”) had been released shortly before that. With all the attention and promotion the band wanted to give to “Life”, “Moonlight” tended to get lost in the shuffle, so I thought I would let a little time go by before picking it up and giving it some attention.

As I mentioned before, Aggronymph's style is a melting pot of genres ranging from electronica to gothic metal to pop; with enough melodic sensibility to ensure that the music never gets overwhelmed by too many differing sounds piled on at once. That's a tricky balancing act for even the most accomplished artists to pull off, so it says a lot about Aggronymph's talent that they can pull this off with such panache.

Visually, however, the “Moonlight” video is opposite from the band's overall sound: it is is a basic 5-minute journey through busy city nightlife. The buildings are illuminated with neon lights, while the moon hangs unobtrusively above, almost invisible. A camera captures the shuffling feet of people walking to and fro, as we view them from upside-down. The bright headlights of cars and buses whiz past us as they race through the city streets. All of these sights make the lyrics more profound: “Gaze at the moonlit sky, it is the most divine of sights...This beauty of the moonlit sky is my only source of light”.

For more information on Aggronymph, visit the band's official website.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Aggronymph “Till Life Sets us Apart”

Band photo

During this past year—both while reviewing material for this blog and writing for other sites—I have come across a lot of great talent from around the globe. One band that caught my attention in 2016 that I have not had the chance to talk about here is Aggronymph, from China. Though they consider themselves to be “electronic gothic metal”, I think that description only scratches the surface of what Aggronymph's sound really is. Fusing sounds together from all sorts of different genres from electronica to heavy metal to rap, Aggronymph is one of the most interesting new bands I have come across as of late. Usually, when bands try to combine so many different musical styles together, it becomes a mish-mash of sounds where each is trying to be heard over the others, but none of them ever standing out quite enough. But Aggronymph has this knack for weaving all these different influences together in such a way where nothing feels out of place, and sounds you never expected would work together somehow make for intriguing harmonies that capture your interest. To try and sum them up in the most basic terms, Aggronymph is something like Linkin Park meets Lacuna Coil, but they are anything but sound-alikes of either band.

The video to the title track of their latest EP, “Till Life Sets us Apart” appeals to my love of conceptual videos (i.e., music videos with a storyline) by showing a sad and twisted tale of co-dependency and drug abuse. The video follows a heroin-addicted couple who feed into each other's addictive personalities as they continue to chase the high that they seek. There is even a disclaimer at the start of the video to inform the viewer of graphic imagery. The music is dark and mournful; the band is seen wreathed in smoke and eerie red lights.

For more information on Aggronymph, visit the band's official website.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Secret Rule “I Have the Sun”

Photo courtesy of MCCN Photography

It's been a couple months since I last wrote about the Italian symphonic/gothic metal band Secret Rule, but they have a new video out and I really like their music so I feel inclined to write about them again.

If you read my last review of the band's previous video, then you already know that Secret Rule features an impressive guest list consisting of some of the biggest names in symphonic metal, from Delain to Within Temptation; proving that this band has the chops to become among the next breakout stars on the scene.

In the video for “I Have the Sun”, the concept is somewhat similar to the videos for Lacuna Coil's Delirium album, and the song has a bit of a Lacuna Coil feel to it as well: a blend of gothic and hard rock, yet with a little upbeat pop thrown in as well. A lot of “insane asylum” imagery: straitjackets, pale faces with dark, smudged eye makeup and blood-red lips and words scrawled across the wall. The band is also seen jamming in a dimly-lit room with clocks and photographs on the walls.

Secret Rule's latest album, Machination, is now available through Scarlet Records. For more information on Secret Rule, visit their official Facebook page.

Special thanks to Angela Di Vincenzo.

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.