Asynja - Through the misty air 3.5/5
Reviewed: 1-9-09
Tracklist:
1. Nerthus
2. Doomed
3. Forward into battle
4. Fadernas kall
5. Let the valkyrie ride
6. I vargatider
7. Balder the beautiful
8. Lord of ages
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Asynja is a new band from Sweden and 'Through the misty air' is their full-length debut. The line-up is interesting, as it consists of only 2 members - Maria and Eva, and I believe they're actually sisters. So the band is obviously female fronted, and both of these chicks sing, though it's hard to tell at times as their voices are extremely similar. They're not of the soprano/operatic kind, and instead offer up soothing and laid-back vocals of good (but not outstanding) quality. Most of the songs are sung in English, but 2 of the songs ("Fadernas kall" and "I vargatider") are sung in Swedish.
Musically, what we get with this debut is a blend of power metal, gothic metal and folk metal. It's a somewhat poppy and atmospheric CD, and there are a lot of keys. This is not the kind of folk metal with strings (violin, etc.) or a flute, but the melodies are definitely folky and the CD overall is far from pure power metal or pure gothic metal. Most of the songs are mid-paced (yet upbeat), though there are some slow parts and there are some flashes of speed too.
For overall band comparisons, I would say that Asynja lies somewhere in the middle of Dalriada, Midnattsol, Kalevala, Unshine and Almora (even though all of these bands are slightly to very different from each other), but they're not directly comparable to one of these bands. In fact, while this is certainly suited to my tastes, it stands a short distance from what I've gotten used to when it comes to female fronted power/gothic/folk metal.
One thing I like about this CD is that there are some terrific guitar solos and I think these chicks have done a great job of providing catchy songs, as it's a fun CD that's quite enjoyable. With a few exceptions of "guest" songwriters, they're responsible for the CD in its entirety, though I do know that they use the musicians from a melodic death metal band (Nothung) when they play live. Anyway, this is a great start from an interesting band and I hope we get future CDs from them.
CLINT
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