Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the band Lumus (named after Violin player Jon Lumus) offers a unique brand of symphonic metal. Of course Violins have been used in the past in this genre, but very rarely have they been used as such a prominent and lead instrument the way Lumus uses them, and that alone makes them stand out from a crowded genre.
The music on “Bacchus’ Curse” is dark, but musically intricate and sophisticated – which can be heard throughout the 12 songs and 48-minutes worth of music. Lead vocalist Charlotte Camp adds plenty of drama with her voice – she can go from operatic to more of a clean, soaring metal voice and is backed by the beautiful music written and performed by the band. After the intro “Aode”, “The Burning Plane” is a pretty cool multi-tiered opening number which sees Charlotte going through her various styles within the course of the 5-minute track. The next song “Scales of Justice” opens with more of a traditional metal riff and in a word is just a phenomenal track and my favorite. The addition of lead violin is ingenious and adds to the drama and movie soundtrack type feel to the music. “The Cave” picks up the pace musically and another highlight – it also has its heavier moments, and is a song where all the musicians get to shine. “Lost Child” is another positive moment and Charlotte does her operatic style mostly in this song. Probably the centre piece on the album is the ambitious “Bacchus’ Curse” which is divided into four parts: “Curse”, “Possession”, “Maenad” and “Furies”.
“Bacchus’ Curse” is a good release and you do not hear too many bands like Lumus coming America too often. They definitely have a European flavor to their music and they do it very well and add their own unique twists and turns. If you are a fan of symphonic metal than Lumus is definitely worth investigating.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Aode
- The Burning Plane
- Scales of Justice
- The Cave
- Lost Child
- No Trace
- Challenge
- Bacchus’ Curse I: Curse
- Bacchus’ Curse II: Possession
- Bacchus’ Curse III: Maenad
- Bacchus’ Curse IV: Furies
- Spiders
Line Up
- Charlotte Camp – Vocals
- Jon Lumus – Electric Violin
- Dustin Behm – Guitar
- Joe Spencer – Drums
- Sean McLaughlin – Bass