Review Summary: Low-fi production but stellar, creative songwriting and great musicianship. A gem within a sea of mediocrity.
Female fronted progressive metal. Has this become somewhat of an over-done cliche by now? Perhaps. Does this mean that good new music does not remain to be made within this vein? Apparently not!
"Alas" was the project of two famous metal musicians, albeit one a bit more higher profile than the other: Erik Rutan, best known for his pummeling work with Hate Eternal, and Martina Astner, a siren with a minor cult following among gothic metal enthusiasts and Therion fans alike. One of the principal voices of the "Vovin" album as well as the face of the band for several of Therion's most successful years, Astner could easily be considered the most endearing of Christoffer Johnson's endless train of vocalists, primarily because she had more than just a great voice...she also had great charisma and stage presence, something notoriously lacking from live Therion shows. Rutan I know less about, simply because his brand of death metal isn't something I'm especially keen on, but he's clearly a phenomenal guitarplayer and, surprisingly, songwriter.
Those looking for Rutan's usual frantic riffage will be sorely dissapointed, whereas those looking for him doing something different will be in for a wonderful treat. This is melodic, progressive metal at its best...avoiding the pitfalls most female fronted bands fall into while capturing the spirit that so few others are able to express. Rutan's playing on it has actually encouraged me to give Hate Eternal another chance, as long as I can get over the obnoxious drumming (blastbeats make me want to puke most of the time). His multiple guitar lines weave and harmonize with exceptional skill and musicality, contributing well to the sound and never giving the music a "cluttered" feel. The rest of the band is in top form, and Astner is singing greatly...she can pull off the operatic vocals she was initially hired into Therion for, but I actually much prefer her regular singing voice for its distinctive quality and voice. The opera-voice she uses mostly for accentuation, much like Floor Jansen of After Forever, albeit with less technical proficiency, admitedly (though this is saying nothing, as Jansen is flat-out amazing). My only real complaint would be the production...perhaps this was intentional for the sake of TROOiness, but I've never been too big of a fan of intentionally low-fi production. It's not terrible, and you can certainly hear the lush, organic layers...but it could stand to be a bit cleaner, in my opinion. Otherwise a great, sadly overlooked album, definitetly worth checking out.
Recommended tracks:
Absolute Purity
The Enchanted
Endlessly Searching
Silencing the Sorrow
Rejecting What you Perceive
I would count the entire album pretty ace and worth checking out, though.
