You know, we all make fun of symphonic metal, but there is certainly something to be said for symphonic and power metal. While it may not be the sort of thing we listen to every day, these bands certainly bring something special to the metal world, something that needs to be respected and brought into our darkest circles. Such was my wonderful evening at L'Orchidée du Cheval Blanc, a rather unique little bar in Paris that I last went too to see Svartidaudi on the Untamed and Unchained tour. With four great bands on the bill, I knew I was in for a great night.
The first band up was Gaiden, now I was vaguely familiar with this group because I reviewed their record a few months back. Their sound was very impressive. Gaiden have a very similar vibe to Queensryche, however they mix in their own unique, slightly demented vibe. Their is a wonderful sense of evil that gives the band their identity. On top of that their guitarist was excellent, (He also plays in prog metallers Daturha) playing some top notch solos, his playing was flashy and exciting, it shows the dynamic and interesting side of Gaiden. These guys are going to go far, they have a distinct approach to metal and on their short set they took us to a brave new world.
Elder's Tales was up next and they were one of the best pure power metal bands I've seen live in a long time. While their sound could place more focus on the refrain, they still had a lot of cool ideas. I especially dug how they mixed male and female vocals, I think if they focused a bit more on the interplay it could be very exciting. As a whole though, Elder's Tales were really fun to see, they really ripped with exciting riffs and passionate vocals. This bands singer has an incredible voice and is starting to become a potent frontman. As a whole, digging into this bands live set was a blast, they brought something fun and exciting to an oft-tread and oft-mocked genre.
The third band to play was Lost Opera. Now, last time I saw them in February I really didn't like them so I didn't even bother reviewing it. This time though I was pleasantly surprised. They played a very exciting set, they have totally progressed. Their sound was extremely tight and they had a much more interesting live presentation. Their mix of growls and cleans is top notch, their dynamic shifts are really well thought out and help to engage the listener even further. This is one of the most promising bands in Paris, they have a pretty big following too, so I think that they could start breaking out of the local scene, this band could very well be the future of French power metal.
Finally there was Silent Opera, these guys put on a very interesting show and have an interesting combination of screams and growls. While some of their material sounds very similar once they broke into more exciting progressive tracks or full on ragers we started to get a sense for the potential of the band. The mix of death metal with more symphonic elements was pretty well thought out and showed that the band have a good idea of what they want their sound to be. Their setlist was pretty tight and they certainly know how to put on a good show, the sole problem was that I felt like their final song dragged on forever. Nevertheless, this is definitely a band I would see again.
As a whole, my evening at L'Orchidée du Cheval Blanc proves the way that symphonic metal could really be an exciting genre to see live. The evening as a whole was wonderful and I saw a lot of old friends and was rather proud of my good friend the organizer. Let's just say, the local scene has been blessed with a new force who can do some good things for everyone involved. As for the bands, Gaiden and Lost Opera especially stand out to me as bands to watch for. So dig into symphonic metal, let your hair fly, and find some form of melodic redemption.
Find the bands on Facebook!
Gaiden: https://www.facebook.com/GAIDEN.Officialjoke
Elder's Tales: https://www.facebook.com/elderstalesband
Lost Opera: https://www.facebook.com/lostoperametal
Silent Opera: https://www.facebook.com/SILENTOPERA
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