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Review:
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Holyhell are a new American band that is a cross between
the symphonic power metal of Nightwish and Rhapsody, mixed
with a touch of Within Temptation gothic. All three are
massive favourites of mine, so I’m in for a treat. Lead
singer Maria Breon has an awesome set of pipes, reminiscent
at times of Within Temptation’s Sharon Den Adel. She is
joined by a crew of outstanding musicians, including one
of the world’s top shredders, Joe Stump, who thankfully
keeps himself under control, but when he lets rip, boy can
he shred. Production by Manowar’s Joey DeMaio is top notch,
creating an epic, powerful symphonic metal sound. ****
The album is based on a theme of ‘Mankind’s Struggle
for Good against Evil’. It kicks off with a brace of power
metal anthems before ‘Revelations’ takes it down a notch.
‘Eclipse’ is co-written by David Feinstein (who was in Elf
with Ronnie James Dio, and live they do a version of his
Holy Diver) and is a song Rainbow would be proud of. ‘The
Fall’ is a Meat Loaf style ballad, and then ‘Angel of Darkness’,
full of gothic power and menace, that really shows off Maria’s
power, range and versatility. ‘Holy Water’ is an outstanding
speed metal anthem, followed by a showcase for keyboard
player Francisco Palomo, which lets your brain recover from
the frantic head-banging. Power metal ‘Gates of Hell’ is
followed by ‘Resurrection’, a Godgory cover (Swedish death
metal band) which has been turned into a gothic power ballad.
The next two songs Rhapsody would be proud of, not surprising
since they are co-written by Manuel Staropoli, the flute
playing brother of Rhapsody keyboardist Alex. The album
finishes with the suitably epic, and tiled, ‘Armageddon’.
****
Holyhell really belong in the premier league, this
is top quality musicianship, song writing and production.
The CD is beautifully packaged (the case is a fantastic
idea) and is a must buy for all fans of powerful symphonic
metal. Available from all the normal retailers.
9.5 out of 10
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