Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
From the Netherlands comes the symphonic, progressive female-fronted band Alerion. They have already released a 5-song demo in 2007 called “Fledgling”. I would urge fans to check that out, you can do so via their official site. It features an awesome cover of the Megadeth tune “She-Wolf”. That was done with their previous singer Romy Muste. Now in 2009 the band have just issued a new 2-song promo CD titled “Turn of Fate”, which you can also sample on their aforementioned official site. For this outing Maaike Siegerist has stepped in confidently as their new vocalist. The band is completed by Bas Willemsen (lead & rhythm guitars), Paul Bouman (keys), Ronald van Schaik (bass) and Lennert Stap (drums). The CD opens with the 7-and-a-half minute title track. It’s really a strong opening number that is a pretty good representation of what Alerion is all about. The song has a complex arrangement without being too busy and new vocalist Maaike really steps in seamlessly and does herself and the band proud. In fact, her vocals are the perfect compliment to the extraordinary musicianship that can be found throughout. The song also has a haunting and moody vibe that is very cool as well. Guitarist Bas Willemsen also provides a cool solo near the end of the song. The second and final track is the slower ballad-ish type song “Clash with Eternity”. This shows a different side to the band. Although it is most certainly a slower number, it maintanes a good pace that keeps things interesting. It’s actually a song that tugs at the old heart strings, thanks in large part to Maaike‘s emotional vocal delivery. “Turn of Fate” clocks in at a whopping 11 minutes, but it also provides a solid taste of what we can hopefully expect in the future from Alerion. I definitely liked what I heard on this 2 song CD as well as on their previous demo. I really am curious to see what they can do on a full-length release. Hopefully that time isn’t too far off, but judging by the music contained on “Turn of Fate” I think it’s only a matter of time before they get signed and it will be well deserved.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Turn of Fate
- Clash with Eternity
Line Up
- Maaike Siegerist – Vocals
- Bas Willemses –Guitars
- Adam Huard – Guitar
- Paul Bouman – Keyboards
- Ronald van Schaik – Bass
- Lennert Stap – Drums
Links
MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site