It was over 20 years ago that I heard a certain album called “Wishmaster” by a then little known band called Nightwish. Thinking back, that was my first experience of Symphonic Metal with an operatic female singer, something a wave of bands then adopted, but few managed to emulate, gradually realising that unless you’re an amazing soprano, a natural singing voice is probably a better way to go. Therefore, during the last twenty years few bands have been brave enough to risk having a singer who operates purely in the operatic, because if you do it, it must be done well, so it’s a bit unusual nowadays to hear someone like new Greek band Mystfall adopting that very standpoint on this, their impressive debut album. And they do actually manage to pull it off.
Despite my referencing Nightwish, Mystfall actually straddle a style between them and that of Epica or modern-day Xandria, with an even greater use of orchestration and wielding an epic soundtrack quality within their music. Marialena Trikoglou’s mainly operatic vocals (for yes, there are occasional glimpses of her natural voice here and there for effect, mainly on the quieter moments of the album) are accompanied sporadically by grunted male vocals, bringing further light and shade to the songs and aiding the lyrical storytelling. Trikoglou is a damn fine vocalist, who puts in a commanding performance, helping to make “Celestial Vision” stand out from the many pseudo Epica-wish’s that seemed so prevalent for a while but failed to stand the test of time.
There are plenty of striking choruses and melodies for the soaring vocals to wrap themselves around, and they do so emphatically and resoundingly, managing to bring feeling and soul to a style of singing that can, in other vocalist’s hands, come across as a little cold and clinical. The guitars occasionally manage to stamp a little authority over the enveloping waves of keyboards and orchestration, with the drums and bass giving the songs a powerful and energetic base to build upon. But on the whole, the cinematic orchestration takes the lead in the music, with each track sounding suitably big and epic. This album is exemplary in production and arrangement, with great care and attention given to the overall impact of each track. This is of course the band’s debut, and is a great start that will certainly appeal to the aforementioned Epica and Xandria fans as well as Tarja devotees. It will certainly be compelling to see how the band develop and move forward from this impressive beginning.
(7/10 Andy Barker)
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