Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Mena Brinno is a symphonic, operatic outfit from Tampa, Florida. Meno Brinno formed in 2006 and released their debut “Icy Muse” in 2007. They followed that with “Wicked Polly” in 2009 and now return with their third album, “Princess of the Night”. The band is led by the duo of Katy Decker who puts her opera training to good use with her vocals and multi-instrumentalist Marius Koslowski both formerly of the band Royal Anguish.
“Princess of the Night” is only 35-minutes long and it features 8-tracks, so in that respect, it comes up a little bit short, but the fact that this is a self-released album is pretty impressive and it’s about quality, not quantity. The opening title song is a bombastic fast paced number and the second track “Blackmail” has a doomy, gothic metal vibe. “Sonorous Dream” kicks off with an eerie intro and is pretty much an unspectacular mid-tempo number. Lead vocalist Katy Decker sure knows how to use her voice and I’ve said it before that sometimes singers are more concerned with showing off their range rather than fitting into the song, well Katy definitely tailors her voice to fit the song and that is a huge check in the plus column for me. “Serpentine Lullaby” is excellent. It is led by a galloping guitar riff and the addition of flute is a nice touch. Beyond that, the song really takes flight and is my favorite song.
It is obvious that Mena Brinno is a band that is operating with a lot of confidence. The songs on “Princess of the Night” are well done. Mena Brinno should have no problem finding their niche in the world of female fronted operatic metal.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Princess of the Night
- Blackmail
- Sonorous Dream
- Serpentine Lullaby
- Captive Soul
- Sacrifice
- Drown Within
- Cross to Bear
Line Up
- Katy Decker – Vocals
- Marius Koslowski – Guitars, Guitar Synth, Bass & Keyboards
Links
www.menabrinno.com