Symphonic Metal with Dynamic Classical Music and Impressive Singers - A Review of Ishtar's Rise

Ishtar is one of the few South Korean metal bands that has shown great potential but hasn't had much success since its genre is still being overlooked and underestimated in its home country. The band has had a streak of two extended plays and two full length records before falling apart, reuniting again and disappearing into oblivion as of now. The group's final release thus far has been released more than eight years ago already and features an instrumental overture, one classical cover song and nine regular tunes for a respectable length of fifty minutes.

What stands out most about Ishtar is its absolutely incredible classically trained singer Kim Binna who easily outclasses similar band leaders such as Tarja Turunen and the likes. Her vocals are pitch perfect yet filled with heartfelt emotions that will send shivers down your spine time and again. Just listening to these technically appealing yet emotionally gripping vocals is worth tracking this rare release down and purchasing it. Bassist Ki Young Song and tenor Noh Yook-min further rate this album up as highly talented guest singers.

Musically, this symphonic metal release that certainly deserves to be described this way is much closer to classical music than to heavy and power metal. The delicate, heartfelt and melodious orchestrations sound perfectly timeless and invite time and again to dream yourself far away. This album positively reminds of the early releases of Krypertia, a former German band with a female singer of South Korean origin.

Numerous songs manage to stand out but a great starting point for potential new fans would be the diversified, epic and imaginative "Gates of Ishtar" that clocks in at six and a half minutes without sounding even remotely boring for one second. Other highlights are the playful, liberating and elegant album closer "Fly in Free" as well as the vibrant, unusual and memorable cover of Georg Friedrich Händel's "Lascia ch'io pianga" that should appeal to experts of classical music and symphonic metal aficionados alike.

This album however isn't without a few flaws. The production of the traditional heavy metal instruments such as bass, drums and guitars is paper thin. Speaking of these instruments, the musicianship of the band members can't compete with the classical music and classical vocalists in the slightest as bands such as Therion sound much more balanced in this regard. It should also be mentioned that the English vocabulary used in some lyrics and in the songwriting department would have benfited significantly from some help from a linguist.

Nonetheless, symphonic metal fans and supporters of classical music led by a strong female lead singer should certainly give Ishtar's Rise a few spins. It's a shame that this band has been silent so long and here is hope that this review might help promote these overlooked talents and inspire them to come back in full strength in the near future. South Korea certainly needs a healthy dose of technically skilled symphonic metal bands in this day and age.

Final rating: 85%