Oftentimes modern metal with female vocals is formulaic. We've seen it a million times on this site. Operatic keyboards play some epic sounding line and a white girl sings overtop, growls are used on the verses for brutality and then the choruses feature the girl at her very best. On Lumen Ivalys fights that standard with nearly every song. Much more guitar and rhythm focused than most symphonic metal Ivalys has a sound that is much heavier and down to earth than most of those acts. This is a band that makes truly interesting heavy metal and knows how to create a layered and powerful sound that is not bland but instead refreshing and new.
For me the best part of this bands sound is the rhythm aspect. It is crushing and powerful and dare I say even a tad djenty? The bridge on the eponymous track, Lumen, seems that way to say the least. It creates a side to the music that is rarely if every seen in modern symphonic metal. I also really like the implementation of the keys, they do not dominate the music, instead they provide a nice padding for the guitar attack. That is not to say that there are no purely symphonic metal tracks. As it Wanes The vocals are predominantly clean female singing however occasional growls are added for flavor. Their use is by no means standardized though, it just bleeds through to give the music more power. In sum, they create musically interesting and rather unique symphonic metal that is breaking new ground by combining the best from a variety of genres.
To finish with Lumen Ivalys has sought to create a record that breaks the boundaries that have for so long limited symphonic metal, and I must say they have succeeded. Their music is djenty, tasteful and heavy. The songwriting is solid and shows a lot of maturity. I'd also liked to quickly point out that imagewise its refreshing to see a female fronted act that is not concentrated on the singers boobs and instead has a much more band focused image. Its just another way that these guys fight the norms of the genre. Seeing as they are among my French metal brethren I am very much looking forward to seeing them in the near future! In short, if you're a fan of female vocals and want something new that tries to cut out its own niche then Ivalys's Lumen is the album for you!
Check them out on facebook and buy the album below!
No comments:
Post a Comment