What happens when a symphonic metal bands with great female vocals release a new album much more poppy than anything they previously released, is it a blessing that they became more poppy or it will many fans turn there back on the band?
Lunatica, if you aren't familiar with them, they would easily be compared to Nightwish / Lacuna Coil / Evanescence just because this band has very symphonic moments mixed with heavy guitar playing. Lunatica couldn't be any further from the types of music the other bands listed create.
The first thing that makes this band stand out more is they bring more mainstream rock elements into their band, creating a mystic type atmosphere for their songs and blending them in with a great female singer who is not an opera singer. As a matter of fact her voice is very distinct, there aren't any other vocalist that I can think of that sound anything like her and for some, that might not be a good thing.
On topic of this album though, They sure did change their sound quite a bit. They still have heavy guitars through-out the album, but wow they sure changed their music a bit and much of it is VERY poppy this time around, but that isn't a bad thing at all. All of their songs have something unique about them and still continue to keep their epic sound. The biggest change in their music is the song "Who You Are" it sounds like something you would hear an average pop artist to release (Kelly Clarkson or Michelle Branch) but it changes the pace of the album and keeps everything fresh and interesting.
One of the biggest complaints about their last album was mostly because of the lyrics, I do have to say they vastly improved in their writing. Some of the songs still have the 'cheese' factor, but for the most part I think every song lyrically are much better than their last album Instead of seeming to focus on the world and creatures in it, they sing about love,hate and all the other feelings that there are that people like to hear about.
To think of anything negative about this album is actually hard to do, the guests vocalists that appear on the album really aren't all that good even though they are from different metal bands with great success, but I think the female voice is just the perfect fit for every song on the album and the male voices sometimes drag it down. Now, I am not saying the male voices are bad, so don't get that impression, but to me, they don't exactly fit the style of music. Another thing that might bug people is there are a lot more slow songs compared to their album, but if you keep an open mind they are still great songs to listen to, just don't expect a big metal album.
In closing this album far surpasses their last album "Fables and Dreams". Every song sounds different from the last, her voice is used very well, each song creates a great atmospheric sound and the album is just addicting if you are into the style of music because how different it sounds. I definitely recommend this album, it's one of my favorite of this year.
