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Review:
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The Ukraine seems to be punching way above its weight
in producing top quality gothic metal bands. After the wonderful
Delia comes Shadows (or Teni in Ukrainian), but these young
metallers have a different style, more We Are The Fallen
esque alt metal rather than Within Temptation like symphonic.
You also have to throw some Lahannya, Omega Lithium and
Stream of Passion into the mix as well. The ravishing raven
haired Nick has a multi dimensional voice, stylistically
a mix of Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion) and Carly Smithson,
with a touch of operatics, and she really gives it 110%,
quite remarkable for someone so young.***
The awesome ‘That Day’ is a typical example of their
craft, alternatively atmospheric, groovy, throbbing and
soaring. Other faves include the gothic opener ‘Ghost, the
swaying ‘Forever You’, and the impassioned closer ‘Do Not
Forget’ with its startling ending. The sound is rather beefier
and meatier than We Are The Fallen, with powerful twanging
guitars, grunting bass, excellent electronic rather than
symphonic keys (more Vangelis than Wakeman), and Alisa’s
melancholic violin (her bow has now been taken over by Dasha).
The booklet is in a mixture of Ukrainian and English, so
I have listed the songs and members for you.***
If this was the debut album by We Are The Fallen (I’m
getting cramp typing that out, couldn’t they have chosen
a shorter name, like Bob?) then nobody would bat an eyelid
in surprise (apart from the language of course!), the only
difference being one’s on Universal, the other unknown outside
their homeland, thanks to the power of promotion, place,
and Ben Moody’s name and connections, being a founder member
of Evanescence, one of the few female fronted metal bands
the mainstream have ever heard of. They certainly have the
product, just have a look at the video for the English language
version of their new single ‘Holloworld’ on the blog, http://thefemalevoices.blogspot.com/
.***
I have also really enjoyed their very professionally
shot and produced live DVD, ‘Poisoned Paradise Live in Luhansk’.
They put on a really good live show with excellent sound
and a proper stage set. Nick is a stunning, charismatic,
captivating and exceedingly impressive performer, helped
by a very energetic band, with violinist Dasha and some
especially lively dancers/baton twirlers adding to the eye
candy. In fact Dasha takes the mike for one number, showing
she too has a wonderful voice. This is available along with
the album and the new maxi single ‘Holloworld’ from their
website, http://www.teni.com.ua/index.php
. If you enjoy alt and gothic metal then this is a real
treat for your eyes and ears, 9 out of 10.
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