Some time last year I searched the internet for female-fronted metal bands. The results included Nightwish, Dark Sarah, Arch Enemy and Cellar Darling. From those, Cellar Darling had me the most curious. I read that they had incorporated such curiosities as the hurdy-gurdy in their songs, and because I have a taste for lute and other baroque instruments I took a listen. I should have persisted longer, allowing the whole of “This Is The Sound” to make an impression on me. Unfortunately, “Avalanche” is all I remember now. I cannot say why, but One More Time’s song, “Highland” came to mind at the time. Despite what you might think, this is a good thing. It seemed to me that Cellar Darling were bringing something other than operatic vocals to melodic metal. I still have this impression, listening to “The Spell”.
Prepare yourself to listen intently to this album. A girl enters a stark, unforgiving world. She encounters Death, and falls in love. She weaves a spell to bind him to herself, and follows him into the underworld. I was not prepared for this story, and still I remain conflicted. Both Anna’s voice and the band’s music serve the story, and I am filled with a deep sorrow when I listen to a song like “Hang”. “Burn” is another favourite, and I agree that Cellar Darling have a progressive sound – one that is not necessarily driven by intricate guitar passages or changes in time signatures that are impossible to repeat. There is enough grit to satisfy the metalhead, but “The Spell” is so much more. I appreciate the peaks and troughs where, after you experience the dread of entering a netherworld with the character you are given reprieve by floating in the embrace of a halcyon sea. These impressions will stay with me for a long time. Continue reading »
For the instrumentalist, one of the bigger challenges is to create an own identity. At face value, the lead singer gives a band its identity, since his/her look and voice is one of a kind. He/she is instantly recognisable. Antonello Giliberto’s tone is his identity. When he solo’s, it’s like Paganini’s violin, technically thrilling yet maintaining strong melody. His love for the classics, like Johann Sebastian Bach and Yngwie Malmsteen (yes, I dare elevate Yngwie to that most celebrated category of classical composer) inform his compositions. When you read Giliberto’s biography, it is clear that he is a guitar scholar, having studied at Accademia di Chitarra Moderna, a Sicilian academy specialising in modern guitar. He has a keen interest in the expressive qualities of the guitar, as he’s attended workshops with Kee Marcello and Mattias IA Eklundh, amongst others. I was likewise pleased to learn that he contributed guitar on three of Gabriels’ epic “Fist of the Seven Stars: Act 2”, reviewed earlier.
In Psalm 59, David continues to sing praises to God, despite facing adversity. He concludes, “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” (Ps. 59:17). Hilastherion’s “Psalm 59” is a mighty EP, with “Psalm 59” sounding as much like a song of praise as it does a battle cry. Hilastherion hails from Finland, the land of the midnight sun, which is home to many great prog and extreme metal bands. There’s something stark in the sound, like the icy beauty of a forest in winter time. “Psalm 59” is sung in Swedish (if I am correct), and you can hear the light and melodic contrast with the dark and dissonant. The band describe their sound as melodic death metal, but it is unlike the Gothenburg, Sweden sound. For me, it draws more on the progressive metal side of things and maybe it’s the symphonic elements that push it into that sphere. “When Sorrow Dies” is epic. It is cold and unblack, from the guttural rumbles to the blast beats and buzzing guitars, but finds redemption in the face of God. “Hymn to the Creations of God” celebrates God as Creator, and points to our responsibility as stewards of His Creation – a responsibility we often neglect. “Psalm 59” releases on Good Friday, and if the EP is a taste of what’s to come, a great album is in the making.