Anthea, an American Symphonic metal band formed in 2015 based out of California, are out with their debut album “Illusion. The album releases on the 23rd October under the record label of Rockshots records. The band has been active for quite sometime and have been known to kill it on stage; with their tight performance they definitely lure in the crowds. Well I wasn’t able to get much on the bands journey since their formative years, so I decided to jump right on to the album and give it a spin.
The album opens up with “Reach” with immense power and prose filling the soundscape, we oscillate from clean vocals to screams, duel it out on the guitars and keys, the song maintains its melody setting forth the onset of the album. “Eclipse” blasts off with a symphonic aura that resonates and surrounds while the vocals picks up the rugged ruthlessness to progress the song to the next bar. What surprises are the tweaks added every now and then giving an element of mystery making it truly an incredible prog track.
“Moirai” takes us on a duet, with collaborations from Chiara and Diego, and as the vocals hits high and eerie notes, giving the song an atmospheric soundscape, which coupled with the melody running parallel and culminating back to where it begins, but wait changing scales abruptly makes this song a treat to listen to . With “Illusion” we foray into aggression and fast paced riffs rummaging between the deathly growls neatly packed with an amazing amount of melody. There are some interesting sound arrangements which makes it a great listen, not only did I enjoyed the guitar rhythm variations that’s embedded into the songs’ core, but also how all the sparse elements come together onto this song.
“The Light Divine” brings about a gothic and eerie orchestrated soundscape which is powered up right from the start. The guitar shredding will absolutely blow your mind, pairing it up with the flaring vocals, a gutsy solo on the keys and an eventual spinoff to the guitar solo gives tremendous colour to the song. And right at about 4.05 you’ll see what I mean. I definitely observed true progressive elements on this track, making it my favourite on the album.
With “Discovery” the band showcases their technical prowess while delivering tightly coupled guitar riffs, blitzing fast guitar solos, a hypnotic ambient on the keys (followed up by a killer solo) and truly original tunes that would, for a long time, resonate in your head. Although “The Expedition” has all the elements that give it a doom metal label, as we progress with the song takes a different stride but again not losing its original theme. We end this incredible album with a ballad “Reflections” which takes it slow and then ramps it up with meaty guitar chugs and flaring solos on the Keyboards. The song has beautiful sequences towards the end and the band puts in all the soul they have to make a statement as they end the album.
Production – The songs on album are produced well. The album has a diverse song arrangement and at no point the songs lose melody. The songs are guitar/keys driven, and the complementing vocal melody adds a lot of flavour.
Conclusion – The song writing on this album is commendable and of the highest calibre. If you are looking out for a melodic sound with plenty of surprises and a true rollercoaster experience, you’ve hit the jackpot with this one. Go for it!
Rating: 9.5/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Band Members:
Diego Valadez – Vocals/Keys
Juan Pina – Guitar/Screams
Marcos Mejia – Guitar
Eric Guerrero – Bass
Peter Vasquez – Drums
Track Listing:
1. Reach (4:57)
2. Eclipse (3:52)
3. Moirai (Feat. Chiara Tricarico) (4:31)
4. Illusion (4:10)
5. The Light Divine (Feat. Eric Meyers) (6:33)
6. Discovery (4:31)
7. The Expedition (4:03)
8. Reflections (5:27)
9. Moirai (Orchestral Version) (4:32)
Album Length: 42:40
Album Credits:
Diego Valadez – Vocals/Keys
Juan Pina – Guitar/Screams
Marcos Mejia – Guitar
Eric Guerrero – Bass
Peter Vasquez – Drums
-Guests-
Chiara Tricarico – Vocals
Eric Meyers – Guitar
Female Vocals on “Moirai” Performed by Chiara Tricarico
Second Guitar Solo on “The Light Divine” written and performed by Eric Meyers
All music and lyrics by Diego Valadez except on “The Expedition” music by Marco Mejia, Lyrics and Orchestration by Diego Valadez.
Produced by Diego Valadez
Mixed/Mastered By Will Salazar (Revenant Sound Studios)
Layout & Design By Ricky Silva (Interfectum Studios)
Music Videos & Lyric Videos By Anthony Ortiz (Divergence Studios)
Live Photography By Matt Martinez (Red Hare Images)
Studio Photography By Elizabeth Gore (Lone Wolf Productions)
Release Date: Oct. 23rd. 2020
Record Label: Rockshots Records
More info: Facebook / Instagram / Website
Lyric video for ‘Moirai’
Video for ‘Illusion’
