|
Voices Of Destiny is German outfit presenting their debut From The Ashes and trying to find their place in the female-fronted symphonic metal scene. And with the opener Ray Of Hope they show similarities to bands like Nightwish, Epica and Leaves' Eyes. The band was founded in 2004 by guitarist Chris Gutjahr and bassist Jens Hartwig and in 2007 they released the demo Red Winter Snow, now they are signed by Massacre Records and their debut is in stores. The opening of Twist The Knife reminds me of some late 80's hard rock tune, but soon they offer heavy riffs and symphonic sounds. Maike Holzmann is obviously doing better when not hitting the high notes, her voice isn't strong enough then. They add some harsh vocals á la Epica, but the songs don't have the same quality level. On the other hand this is Voices Of Destiny's debut album... Icecold begins with whispered words, then piano and vocals. The balladesque opening leads into a riff-based symphonic track. Apathy gives me mix feelings when it comes to the vocals, coz I like Maike's vocal line, but again her voice gets thin when singing high notes. The piano-based ballad Bitter Vision also shows some flaws in Maike's vocal performance, but she can improve! With about 5 minutes the song isn't extremely long, but they can't keep the listeners interest til the end... For Hourglass they speed up, tempi changes make it more interesting, but partly Maike's voice seems to drown a bit... But with twists and turns this one is quite interesting. Interesting interaction between Chris Gutjahr's guitar and Lukas Palme's keyboard towards the end. With Not The One they close this chapter.
Okay, Voices Of Destiny aren't presenting something new, but From The Ashes is a decent album. I miss some real catchy stuff, something which hooks you up immediately... They haven't developed their own sound yet, but that takes time. At least a band to keep an eye on. So genre fans, check out Voices Of Destiny to make up your mind!
|
|