Liv Moon is a symphonic power metal band that has what I would call a fairly typical Japanese sound. Their fourth record, Symphonic Moon, opens with electronic samples, cinematic symphonic elements, and variable, slightly theatrical, and powerful female lead vocals. The singer seems to be influenced by singers such as Kate Bush, but also the ABBA singers. The use of sometimes exaggeratedly poetic Japanese lyrics with a few passages in other languages (such as English) is typical for the genre, and so are the topics around dark romanticism. From the first song on, you know exactly what you have to expect for the upcoming fifty-three minutes, and this is very much a “love it or hate it” sort of genre.

The mixture of versatile elements of diverse metal subgenres, along with a commercial touch, is something one can see in many Japanese heavy and power metal bands, particularly in the Visual Kei scene around bands from pioneers X Japan, Concerto Moon, and even MUCC. Similar acts are artists and bands like Alhambra, Cross Vein, and Hamada Mari, but fans of bands such as Seraphim or Nightwish should also check this band out. The catchy “Alchemy” is not a far call from Nightwish’s “Amaranth” and has a lot of hit potential. The sacral elements and vocals in “Kill Me, Kiss Me” or “Datenshino Emi” make think of Krypteria, and this song has tons of hit potential as well.

“Koorino Hitsugi” opens with piano melodies reminding me of HIM’s breakthrough hit “Join Me In Death”, while the rest of the song turns out to be a rather epic ballad with great orchestration that sounds a bit like modern Helloween songs like “Light The Universe” or “Hold Me In Your Arms”. Akane Liv shows her incredible talent in this powerful ballad that puts some warmth in my heart in these cold winter days. My conscience is aware that this kind of music is a bit cheesy and not very unique for some, but my romantic soul really digs this record. If you like this song you will also fall in love with “Shingetsuse”.

The Japanese always know that after such an emotional ballad they must land a harder track and “Fugitive” indeed opens with electronic samples, hard guitar riffs, dominating bass guitar, and a few upper mid-tempo passages. Along with the amazing and powerful “The Last Savior” that even features some male shouts in the chorus and a great guitar solo, it’s probably the fastest track on here. “Black Serenade” follows, sounding like an Anette Olzon song with some influences taken from the “Mission Impossible” title melody.

To keep it short, the band combines energizing power metal with classical symphonic elements to create eleven addicting, reasonably diverse, and energizing anthems plus an interlude. I really can’t find a single weak track on here, but you definitely need to appreciate this kind of music in general to enjoy the album. While the record is not really unique, it’s made with passion and represents Japanese pop metal culture very well. Fans of everything from X Japan to Nightwish, Rondo Veneziano to Evanescence, as well as the Mamma Mia! and Phantom Of The Opera musicals should pick this passionate release up. The warm symphonic sound, the poetic and romantic language, and the powerful female vocals make this the perfect soundtrack for the winter season and Christmas in my opinion.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

Mirage is an atmospheric, emotional, and technical progressive rock/metal band from China. One could easily call them a Chinese version of bands such as Dream Theater or The Last Successor. It took the band ten years to record their first record, but it was worth the wait. Soon after, the singer quit and was replaced by a female vocalist from Taiwan, and I was quite curious to hear what was to come next from them.

The band opens its self-titled album with its best song: “Mirage” from the album Mirage by the band Mirage. It’s a calm and atmospheric ballad with warm-hearted vocals and impressive but coherent changes. This being said, all vocals are sung in Mandarin Chinese (of course), and I translated the band name and song titles for coherency. We get a few almost jazz-oriented parts, faster metal passages, progressive rock keyboard solos in the key of Genesis or Yes, layered vocal passages, and a few gracious female vocal parts in the laid back parts. In the end, the record ends on a very peaceful note, and the vocals are a true tearjerker. Despite its nine minutes of running time, the song never gets boring and is probably one of my favorite progressive metal songs ever.

The rest of the album is strong but can’t quite reach the quality of the opener. The second song, “Lonely Journey”, comes very close though. It has more of a vivid space rock atmosphere that would be a highlight on any Ayreon record. It convinces with an amazing keyboard performance, a good rhythm section, and melodic vocals. In only four minutes and a half, the band integrates more emotions and ideas than other bands or projects do in entire overlong conceptual records. “Money” experiments with a more direct vocal performance and crunchier, more modern, and sometimes even industrial metal-oriented riffs. The track is a nice variation, and the epic and almost Tang Dynasty-influenced chorus is the cherry on the cake (even though I prefer the first two, calmer songs).

“Unreal Empty Shells” starts with dramatic orchestral sounds, and sounds like something from the soundtrack of a horror film. Once the vocals set in, the track gets more experimental and modern as it blends the styles of prior tracks together – blending original ideas like a fast, power metal guitar solo and a punching drum solo. The track definitely has its moments, but not all parts really fit together. The banal and basic vocal performance and the simple riffs don’t please me that much.

“The Memory Of Times” is the longest track on the album, with a running time of over nine minutes. This song is completely instrumental, and even though it’s a track filled with changes from seventies’ rock passages in the key of Deep Purple up to virtuous guitar solos that sound pulled from a Fates Warning CD, I’m missing some vocals to carry this long song. However, even though I’m not a fan of instrumentals, this is one of the best I’ve heard in a while. As it’s hard to convince me with this approach, I’m aware of the fact that the band actually did a very good job on here.

“Heaven” starts with modern electronic elements and strong bass riffs before things get more atmospheric in a dark and disturbing way. The dark vocals feel a little bit too direct, while simplistic groove metal riffs meet dominant keyboard sounds. This mixture sounds a little bit odd and too modern to me, and the song is rather hard to digest. The strong parts are what I identify as pre-chorus and chorus, where the vocalist can finally show what he is capable of, while he gets supported by majestic backing vocals. “I’m Still Behind You” is a calmer keyboard-driven ballad with powerful vocals supported by warm violin sounds. Again, the band simply sounds greatest in these laid back and magical moments. It’s a song for longing or romantic hours and a true tearjerker. This is really a well-kept secret, and one of the most profound moments on the album. It would have been a perfect close to the album, but the band chose instead to end things with the shortest song – “Water”. It’s another calm instrumental track with excellent guitar work, but it’s more vivid than the previous piece. The orchestral parts sound a little bit artificial and unclean on here, and I think a better production or higher budget would have helped.

In the end, Mirage delivers us a very well thought and emotional debut record, with fifty minutes of diverse and professional musicianship. The calmer songs on here are absolutely outstanding, while some tracks need several spins to open up (though I suppose that’s just normal for a progressive metal record). If a more famous western band had put out a record of similar quality, it would have been called a convincing return to the basics, I’d guess. That’s why it’s time to spread the name of these Chinese talents. Fans of bands like Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and the like need to look into this.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

In a male dominated metal world, an all-female heavy metal band from Mexico is still something that stands out and grabs my attention. In general, there are a couple of interesting all-female heavy metal bands from Latin America such as Highway. For a male reviewer, it’s important to talk about the music alone, and not the charming looks of these four lovely women. There is nothing to worry about here though, because the band didn’t just choose stunning cover artwork, but the forty minutes of music are actually quite energetic, entertaining, and joyous.

Musically, the band delivers grounded, mid-tempo heavy/power metal tracks that are all rather short. The band focuses on dark, sharp riffs as seen in “No More!”, but also come around with a few faster and lighter passages, such as the opening riff of “The Spirit Has Won”. What impresses me even more is the vivid rhythm section. The drum play is solid, but what really stands out on this album is the dominating bass guitar that shines in almost every song. Kathy Whitewolf is absolutely convincing on her instrument, and this band does her often-underutilized instrument some true heavy metal justice. It has been a while since I have heard such strong and pronounced bass guitar work on a record, and it’s probably due to this great instrumental work that four out of twelve tracks on Gates Of Hell are instrumentals. This is something that would usually bother me a bit with other bands, but the approach works very fluidly here.

The vocals sounded a little bit too dark, low, and reserved to me in the opening of “The Gates Of Hell”, but from then on, Chilean singer Monserrat Bustamante Laferte delivers an absolutely stunning performance. More than that, her vocals have a unique character and make her stand out in a crowded scene. I find it hard to compare her to anybody in particular, which is already a good sign. Her vocals are powerful and quite charismatic. The catchy, almost danceable and rhythmically-orientated potential hit single “The Boogie Biker”, with its slightly lascivious vocals, makes you nod your head, shake a leg and sing along. It’s not all poppy though, as the singer also performs the joyous power metal song “Tiny Blue Dot”, with its more demanding and varied sections quite brilliantly.

The band unites all of the aforementioned strengths on certain songs. A true album highlight is “The Conquest”, for example. It has a varied vocal performance with a lot of heart and soul, sharp riffs, a great solo, a tight drum performance, and incredibly dominating bass guitar play. This is maybe the track that presents this band best overall. The most unusual track here is the half ballad “Why Should We Need?”. In comparison to other genre bands’ entries, this song has guts and melody, and doesn’t sound watered down at all. The melodious vocals are performed with a lot of soul and are an absolute delight. Even in this song, the bass guitar absolutely rules, and is on the level with the melodic guitar play in the laid back solo. Along with “The Boogie Biker”, this is definitely the catchiest song on the album.

Despite the weaker opener, “The Gates Of Hell”, and the unspectacular closer, “Spooky Cookie”, Mystica Girls delivers only killer tracks in between, and will charm your pants off with heavy metal attitude, charismatic vocals, and great musicianship. The quartet from Mexico City that once started as a cover band deserves the attention of heavy metal fans throughout the world. Give their second album a few spins and keep the band on your radar for future endeavors, such as the recording of a live DVD and a possible tour through Central and North America (and maybe even Europe and Japan) that are mentioned on Mystica Girl’s official Facebook page.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

Nanowar Of Steel is an Italian heavy/power metal band that parodies famous metal bands such as Blind Guardian, Dream Theater, Helloween, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Rhapsody Of Fire, and of course Manowar. The funny or worrying thing is that this band has become consistently better than the bands it parodies. The band’s third record A Knight At The Opera, is a highly entertaining mixture of new recordings of old classics and a few very good new tracks.

Some of the strongest tracks on here are also accompanied by excellent video clips that can be found on the special edition of this record, along with a live concert featuring nineteen tracks. Among the new songs, the parody of teleshopping channels in the hilarious “Giorgio Mastrota (The Keeper Of Inox Steel)” puts a big smile on my face. The satirical hymn about medieval emperors called “Feudalesimo E Liberta” is probably the catchiest song on the album, and an excellent epic heavy metal anthem. The biggest gag awaits at the end of the record, however. “Schwanzwald”, “El Campo De Nabos”, “Kitograd” and “Хуйзбекистан” are in fact the exact same song with a few little changes in the opening melody and the bridge. These four tracks are performed in German, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, and Russian, if I’m not mistaken, and talk about a fictive community where all people are homosexual. As a German, the goofy but sympathetic version of “Schwanzwald” (in fact, the famous Schwarzwald that exists for real and means “Black Forest” is parodied as Schwanzwald, which means “Dick Forest”) made me laugh very hard.

The band chose to include new recordings of some classics here as well. The parody of Iron Maiden’s “The Number Of The Beast” as “The Number Of The Bitch”, where a lonely guy calls some prostitutes, is an instant highlight. The half ballad “To Kill The Dragon You Need A Sword” is extremely amusing because of the exaggerated use of different instruments instead of an actual orchestra. The other half ballad, “Poser”, is about a guy who listens to Korn and can’t distinguish Bruce Dickinson from Blaze Bayley. While the guy defends his tastes and is happy with them, he gets criticized by a true metal maniac in this track.

Beside all the funny moments, the band actually convinces quite thoroughly with epic choirs, great guitar solos, melodic and powerful vocals, and one catchy chorus after another in a solid production. Some people say that it’s a pity that this quintet isn’t a serious band, because its instrumental and vocal skills are definitely far above average. I’m glad they sound this way, because they are definitely the funniest metal band on the planet. Now, it depends on your definition of humor if you can stand this kind of lyricism. In my book, it’s definitely not worse and probably even more intelligent than Edguy’s more inane parts. One should not over-anal-yze it.

If you want to listen to epic heavy or power metal with humorous lyrics, this release is a definite must have. This band is the perfect deal to switch your brain off and have some fun at a party with your metal-loving friends. The limited edition is an absolute stunner with lots of bonus material. I highly recommend this release. Now I’m off to the Schwanzwald (or maybe better not…)!

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

Here comes another foreign metal act that plays a little bit less exotic but still very solid music. Nocturne Moonrise comes from Taipei in Taiwan, the Republic of China. The four young men and one young woman play symphonic power metal that reminds me of famous Italian acts like Rhapsody Of Fire or Holy Knights. Founded back in 2005, the band released its first EP with two tracks in 2008. Both of those tracks are also included, in new versions, on the band’s full length debut album entitled Into The Romaunt, which was released in March of 2012. Since then, the band has been opening for international tours through Taiwan, playing shows to their growing fanbase, and recording a new album, from which they have an upcoming single called “When The Holy War Has Begun”.

Apart from a short introduction of two minutes, the seven main tracks of Into The Romaunt push the running time to over one hour of music. As you might guess, the tracks are lengthy and all clock somewhere between six and ten minutes. To my surprise, despite the length, the tracks never get boring. This is quite a special experience, as the band offers no shorter songs, and the songs are all quite similar in terms of construction and flow.

The production here is rather good, which sets up the rest of the album to showcase its quality. Most of the tracks start with one or two minutes of symphonic introduction performed by keyboards and synthesizers, and they remain a dominating element and give the songs a symphonic and classically-influenced touch. The overall atmosphere becomes epic and joyful, even cinematic at times. It would easily fit on a soundtrack for a medieval role-playing game and musically, create great imagery. Of course, its a bit of a drawback to have artificial orchestration, but the approach is still successful, and will draw you into a fantastic world of the artist’s craft.

At some point, melodic guitars and other instruments kick in, and the vocalist delivers a first powerful verse that leads to a chorus or to another verse after a short instrumental break. The main vocalist is a man with a potent, melodic voice who is able to nail the high notes from time to time. Many genre singers sound too forced and easily become annoying after a few tracks, and that’s even more the case for female vocalists in my opinion. But Mister Alexx Liu does a very solid job here.

Sometimes he’s not alone. A few more cinematic and “medieval” sections are supported by choirs or layered male vocal passages. At some points, Mei Ying on the keyboards and synthesizers adds her own voice to the songs. They are not dominating, but work quite well when they appear. In my opinion, the band should employ them a more in the future to contrast the male vocals from time to time and keep the attention high through all these tracks. Even though the vocals are quite good without sounding unique, I’ll add that the choruses are not very gripping in here.

What really convinces the listener on Into The Romaunt are the keyboards and synthesizers, which add a medieval and sometimes sacral atmosphere to the music. The middle passages include enough instrumental innovation in the form of more cinematic and symphonic breaks that are often followed by extensive neoclassical or shred guitar solos that could have come directly from Timo Tolkki. These parts can be cited as the highlights of each song. The bass guitar however, is less outstanding, and the drumming is ceaselessly quite fast apart from a few short breaks. These elements are appropriate to the genre without adding anything new to the usual formula.

I’ve more or less summed up the album’s main formula and the band employs it almost permanently here. Normally, I would argue that the songwriting is unoriginal, and that the band sounds a little bit too much like its idols. While that’s true, I like this honest and passionate approach. The concept works so well because of the talented instrumental work, the solid vocals, and a good sense for instrumental breaks before it all gets too redundant. The tracks have lengths of eight to nine minutes, but they pass by as if they were only four or five minutes long. The record feels diverting and dynamic: as soon as the ride is finished, I just feel like listening to it again. You really have to share my passion for this style of European power metal to adore this record. Those who already don’t appreciate the genre might find this album bland, but I liked it more than I would have initially thought. In times like these, traditional European power metal records are getting quite rare because most bands experiment with hard rock anthems, modern and harsher elements, or try to become too progressive. Nocturne Moonrise simply stick to the roots and do what they can at a very high level and without any pressure.

It’s ironic that an Asian band comes around with such a simple but fresh record to show what true European power metal is all about. Any genre fan should definitely jump on the passion train and adore an hour of well executed epic symphonic power metal.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal