I have seen Visions of Atlantis numerous times, as well as enjoying their recorded output, and have always been impressed with the power of Maxi Nil’s vocal delivery. I was disappointed when I heard that she had parted company with VoA, and I have to admit I was a little skeptical when I heard she was involved in a new project called Jaded Star until I caught them live at Metal Female Voices Festival in 2014, and was completely blown away. Maxi seemed revitalized and appeared unshackled – and her voice was absolutely mind blowing, with depth and power not previously evident. Even more impressive since I believe this was there inaugural show.
The pedigree of Jaded Star is not in question, with Raphael Saini (Ex Iced Earth on drums) joining forces with Maxi, and to say I was looking forward to the album is an understatement, but I was also a little nervous in case it did not match my memories of MFVF and subsequent expectations. I need not have worried – A first listen left me impressed with the most obvious striking feature being the power of Maxi’s vocals. Treading a fine line between hard rock and metal, the album has power, emotion and melody aplenty and is delivered with energy and confidence. Mention must also go to Kosta Vreto (guitars) and Babis Nikou (bass) who underpin all of this along with Saini on drums, giving Maxi such a solid platform to showcase from.
The album opens with “The Mask” and sets out the stall for things to come with soaring vocal melodies and guitar solos set atop a solid rhythm section. As the album progresses, the listener is taken on a journey, with a variety of styles being employed from melodic modern metal to hard rock to a subtle ballad (“In Memory”), and to my ears, it is these moments which are really outstanding, with Maxi’s vocals taking on an almost vulnerable quality, in complete juxtaposition with other tracks where she lets rip.
In a review that I penned after MFVF, I alluded that Jaded Star will soon be playing big venues, and based on the strength of this release I stand by that. It is early days, but I suspect this star is destined to shine brightly.
(9/10 Andy Pountney)
08/05/2015 at 1:40 pm
I like Maxi’s voice, and it seems to me she finally has a band that believes in her and she trusts them . . . I can’t say I know Raphael or Kosta, but I know Babis has a depth of music knowledge and it shows. The album is rich in complex sounds. 🙂