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Review:
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Vivere is the second album by the quintet of Finnish
power metallers, and they have really amped up their sound
for this one. I know it is unfair to compare them with their
fellow countrymen Nightwish, but Dark Passion Play provides
an easy reference point for the music on offer here, so
that you can have an idea what to expect. The dynamic Elina
Jarn has a voice that makes Anette Olzon (Nightwish) sound
like Dolly Parton, no wonder they nickname her ‘Iron’, she
can really give it some hammer, whilst guitarist and composer
Ville Palin makes Marco Hietala (Nightwish) sound like Donny
Osmond. The songs range from the ‘Amarath’ pop metal of
lead single ‘Dive’, ‘So Fades the Memory’ and ‘From the
Dark’, to the more frenetic ‘Bye Bye Beautiful’ style of
‘Stop Me’, ‘Dead Hope’, ‘Suffer For You’ and ‘Reflections’,
to the ‘Master Power Greed’ heaviness of the inappropriately
named ‘Little Princess’, and the more suitably titled ‘The
Beast’. All have big choruses, raging guitars, and melodic
keys. It is excellently produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa, but
a word of warning, there is so much bottom end you had better
call in the structural engineers to check your foundations,
talk about bringing the house down! It would have been nice
to have had a ballad in the middle, and perhaps a closing
epic, but that aside, this will keep Nightwish fans happy
who are currently suffering from withdrawal symptoms, as
well as people who now find them and other female fronted
bands too lightweight and want ‘MORE METAL!!!!’. There are
loads of online stores selling the album, for example
http://www.recordshopx.com/poko/artist/ironica/?o=l
8.5 out of 10. Phil
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