25.8.13

Arven - Black Is The Colour (2013)

Uncompromising power metal combined with elements of folk metal, what a good platform for blasting a metal music. That is the all-female band Arven going to offered with their new vision. Well, majority of them to be precise, since the male still got one slot as a drummer. This is a Sextet from German  and they just released a second album, Black is the Colours, bring in out a taboo theme about multi race in metal music. They are fresh,  raw  and unpolished, making this an honest introduction to a new band that still on their path of exploration.

Believe starts with a good blast. Power metal riffs leads this song to reach adequate intro, before the confident singer charges in. The vocal style comes as typical high pitch Gothic style, making this something like old Epica meet Dark Moor. Blasting opening on the second track also, Don’t Look Back still on the territory of power metal jungle. The duel melodious guitars is one of good highlight to take a deeper attention here. Rainsong is trying to be more feminine with soft play at the beginning but soon developed into another standard fast tempo in gothic spirit. It’s also begin to incorporated a good amount of orchestra elements in the middle break and solos. The escalation of heaviness up to extra quantity in the fourth song, The One for Me, heaviest one. Unfortunately, the male voice in use is not the best in lower pitch at the beginning but soon when reaching the chorus, the weakness is well covered. The split voice throughout the song is a good one, something worth the compliment. A piano ballad is expected after five consecutive heavy songs, it is done in All I Got. This relax moment quickly vanished when the following up track, My Darkest Dream takes control. We then meet a full scale folk metal track in foreigner title instrumental song, Cercle d’Emeuraude. Another calm before the storm moment on the song In Your Dreams. Finally meet My Fall, a kind of climax to end this album.

It’s rather hard to produced a new metal album that does not sounds generic now day. With hundreds of similar bands that play power metal and folk metal, surely Arven aware that they need more to offer in order to survive the net of natural selection. Taken that this is only their second album, and the fact that their ‘uniqueness’ lay on their female members, Arven may able to capture extra attention later. Critically speaking the album is indeed trying hard to create new attractions, but still sounds too generic in most parts. This doesn't help when the guitarist in charge gives only a rather ‘easy’ solos after such heavy songs. Of course the overall album is enjoyable with many riffs and headbanging power anthem , enough for fans of this genre to rejoice.

Metal Harem class: ******* seven stars out of ten

Arven - Black Is The Colour (2013)
Buy it Here

01. Believe
02. Don't Look Back
03. Rainsong
04. The One For Me
05. All I Got
06. My Darkest Dream
07. Cercle d'Emeraude
08. In Your Dreams
09. Firesite Stories
10. My Fall

Lisa Geiß Bass
Till Felden Drums
Ines Thomé Guitars
Lena Yatsula Keyboards
Carina Hanselmann Vocals
Anastasia Schmidt Guitars


Arven - Black Is the Colour

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