Label: Ex Cathedra Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Leah McHenry is a very talented singer/songwriter from Canada. Her debut album “Of Earth & Angels” was pretty damn impressive. Now she returns with a new 5-song 27-minute EP worth Celtic flavored hard rock entitled “Otherworld”.
The EP begins with the melancholic piano driven ballad “Shores of Your Lies”. This is kind of an interesting opener since not too many metal albums begin with a ballad, I would wager. Rain and thunder sounds intro the next tune “The Northern Edge” which turns into a heavier, melodic, mid-tempo track. Leah slows the tempo down a few notches with the atmospheric “Surrounded”. I loved this song and it is my 2nd favorite on the album. This track features some great chill inducing vocals. Next is another melancholic tune, “Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep”. The best is saved for last with “Dreamland”. This track was released as a single and features Testament guitarist Eric Peterson on guitar and vocals. This is a perfect match and is the heaviest track yet still most technically pleasing song on the whole EP. Vocally Eric Peterson provides a black metal-ish style combined with a pure straight forward metal delivery. Throughout “Otherworld”, Leah strikes a fair balance between ethereal and heavy music. It all comes together quite nicely and this method proved to be an artistic success.
Rating – 83/100
Tracklist
- Shores Of Your Lies
- The Northern Edge
- Surrounded
- Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep
- Dreamland (Featuring Eric Peterson)
Line Up
- Leah – Vocals, Piano & Keyboards
- Cameron Smith – Guitars
- David Hughes – Guitars
- Alexander Giles – Bass
- Sean Lang – Drums