Quite recently, Vly guitarist Karl Demata gave an interview in which he said that Italian progressive music is quite complex and bombastic. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I can personally tell you that not only the progressive Italians are complex, the symphonic metal musicians from the Mediterranean country are quite exquisite as well. From the city of Turin comes the symphonic metal formation called Energy Of The Elements and recently they released their debut album called ’30:03 DeHuman Rise’.
This is a band consisting of five perfectly skilled musicians, and a vocalist. Together they claim to play a “new wave of power metal”, probably lend from the every present new wave of British heavy metal. I can absolutely see where the band is going, they blend a whole bunch of different styles and approaches within the heavy, power and symphonic metal. This mixture of styles resulted in ’30:03 DeHuman Rise’.
But let me drop the bomb on this record right away. As mentioned above, the band exists of five very skilled persons. These five have absolutely done something good by creating a heavy, tragic, bombastic, interesting, symphonic power metal album. But the vocalist absolutely ruins the entire effort. As a brother of lead guitarist Riccardo Balliano, Fabrizio Balliano fails at his job as a singer. His voice sounds weak, flat and powerless and the high notes are really bad at times.
The fast opening riffs of ‘Episode’ get no counterweight from the vocals. It’s a catchy, solid track that absolutely deserved more. But that’s something that surrounds the entire album. You cannot shake the feeling that most tracks deserve something more. The tracks that really make an impact are sung by different people. ‘Abyss Within’ introduces a deep, growling grunt that really gives a special edge to the track. Just like ‘Follow Me’, which holds a Nighwish like female opera voice.
Most of these changes resemble the mixture of heavy styles the band is using. We hear lots of Angra, Symphony X and Stratovarius, but also some Nighwish and even some In Flames. It’s a nice mix of music that really draws the listener into the album and encourages him to listen further. As far as the band is concerned, this album has absolutely everything that you’d want from a beginning band. It’s edgy, it’s interesting and it absolutely sounds awesome.
What absolutely bothers me are the vocals and the brotherly bond between the vocalist and guitarist. The band has to take their chances now, tour Italy and Europe and eventually the world. To attract new fans and possible fans, they need to be at their utmost best to convince them. ’30:03 DeHuman Rise’ is a pretty solid debut album. Musically it’s great, but the vocals drag it down to way under the mark that Energy Of The Elements deserves. Something has to change, for the sake of these great musicians.
6,4
Released: The 15th of October 2015
Record-label: Underground Symphony Records
Website: www.energyoftheelements.it
Facebook: www.facebook.com/energyoftheelements
Tracklist:
- Episode
- Facing The Oracle
- The Message
- Abyss Within
- Never Fall Down
- 2012
- Follow Me
- Gloria Anima Mundi
- Hiding Behind Shadows
- Say Goodbye
- Rise Of The Sun
