Scarleth - Break the silence 3.5/5
Reviewed: 3-1-12
Tracklist:
1. Broken world
2. Child of the forest
3. Crazy fever
4. Shadow fades away
5. Black tears
6. In the abyss
7. World depends on you
8. Flaming angel
9. You'll never die
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Scarleth is a band from Ukraine and they were formed way back in 2005, but after finishing the recording of this debut ('Break the silence') and spending some time searching for a record label, they've just recently released it, eventually signing with Casket Music. The band's main style is power metal, but there are some lightly symphonic spots and some of the songs drift to gothic metal. Keys are present, and there are also moments with a piano, both of which fit well with the band's style and don't dominate the songs.
Vocally, the band is female fronted by Julia Elyashova, who has a nice, clean, and somewhat soft voice, and she's not of the soprano/operatic type that we've heard so much of the last several years (which isn't a bad thing however), so she's a bit refreshing. I personally have liked Julia's pleasant voice, so I was a little surprised to learn that the band has recently replaced her with Olga Marenich (since the release of this debut). That said, I'm sure Olga's a worthy replacement and I look forward to hearing her on the band's next CD. I should also mention that there aren't any male vocals, so this is not another one of those "beauty and the beast" bands.
The CD has a fantastic beginning, as both track 1 "Broken world" and track 2 "Child of the forest" are upbeat power metal songs with speed, catchy rhythms, terrific guitar and keyboard solos, and well done vocals from Julia. The CD then changes direction, slowing down quite a bit and entering gothic metal territory. The songs are still good though, with memorable choruses, frequent guitar solos, and enough flashes of speed to keep power metal fans interested. While I like the band's mid-paced and slow-paced songs almost as much as the fast-paced (more power metal oriented) songs, track 7 "World depends on you" is similar to the first 2 opening tracks (another pure power metal song), and greatly helps the CD stay of the fairly upbeat variety.
Because the band/CD doesn't stick to one particular style and stay there, it's been hard for me to come up with some direct band comparisons. I will say however, that during the CD's power metal songs I'm reminded of the new band Elements, but when they wander to gothic metal, the band By Blood Alone comes to mind, though a lot of that could be due to the fact that Julia sounds a lot like By Blood Alone's Cruella. Regardless of style, this is an enjoyable debut with very good songwriting and I'm certainly looking forward to their next CD.
CLINT
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