Lunatica - The edge of infinity 3.5/5
Reviewed: 11-3-06
Tracklist:
1. Introduction
2. The edge of infinity
3. Sons of the wind
4. Who you are
5. Out!
6. Song for you
7. Together
8. Power of love
9. Words unleashed
10. EmOcean
11. EmOcean (bonus track)
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Lunatica's 3rd CD 'The edge of infinity' might just be the surprise of the year for me. I had heard rumors they changed from the symphonic power metal style of their previous CD 'Fables & dreams', to a lighter and less metal style. So I had visions of what Delight did last year with their latest CD 'Anew', which is a perfect example of a band seeking a more commercial tag (tragic when I think of how awesome their CD 'The fading tale' is). But 'Anew' not only disappointed me with it's change in direction, it was also a fairly bad CD with only a few good songs. Rest assured, while Lunatica has definitely changed their style (almost completely shedding their power metal side), I've found the songwriting and performances to be up there with the best of the many female fronted bands.
Following the "Introduction", both track 2 "The edge of infinity" and track 3 "Sons of the wind" are actually very upbeat with some speed and overall these 2 songs aren't too different from what's heard on 'Fables & dreams'. I would label these songs pure symphonic metal and that's the style the majority of the CD falls under. The radio-friendly "Who you are" that follows however, is where I really got worried (expecting a severe musical change), as although it's actually well written, would surely have fellow colleague Kit and his many followers quickly grabbing for their ears in pain, agony and disgust. The band definitely treads on commercialized rock with this song, but the following track 5 "Out!" and track 6 "Song for you" that follow are in line with what we've heard lately from bands like Within Temptation and Xandria. Plus, track 7 "Together" is of the uptempo variety and the ballad "Power of love" is superb. The catchy track 9 "Words unleashed" (one of the best songs) follows and the CD then finishes with the lengthy "EmOcean", which has both slower and faster parts, symphonic arrangements, and a really nice guitar solo. Another version of this song is the one bonus track, which includes Oliver Hartmann (At Vance) as a guest.
Besides excellent songwriting, female vocalist Andrea Datwyler is much better on this CD, as her voice made repeated listens of 'Fables & dreams' hard to come by. It's actually quite stunning how much better she sounds on 'The edge of infinity', and I consider her one of the CD's strong points. So we end up with the band's best CD to date, surpassing the musical, vocal and production departments of their previous work. Though I'm always seeking power metal with lots of speed, every once in a while a CD will come around that contains flat-out exceptional songs, regardless of what genre/style they're lumped in. 'The edge of infinity' is highly recommended to fans of female fronted symphonic metal and if it wasn't for the song "Who you are" (where I have to draw the line), this might have received the 4/5 "excellent" rating.
CLINT
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