Almôra – “Kıyamet Senfonisi” (2008)

Label : Esen Plak/Eznora Music

Review by Jon Estelle

Don’t understand a word of Turkish? That’s ok – let Almôra guide you through an excellent gothic rock experience with their fourth release, “Kiyamet Senfonisi”. Almôra showcases an interesting mix of operatic vocals with a gothic atmosphere, and throws in a classical touch. The sound reminds me a lot of some of Therion‘s work. This album probably will not change your mind if you are not a fan of listening to music performed in a foreign language, but for those of you that enjoy or do not mind this let us continue on. The album opens with “Ay Isigi Savascisi”, a powerful track that shows off lead singer Duygu Sahin‘s operatic voice. It begins with a quiet prelude, which then quickly leads into the band’s more bombastic sound. The louder, fast-moving sound found in this opener takes the back seat for most of the remaining album. The classical, operatic part of the band quickly takes center stage and holds on to it, just mixing in some of the rock and metal elements. The second track, which shares its title with the album itself, is a better indication of what to expect. Here Almôra focuses more on the vocals being the focal point with classical instruments kicking in the background. Due to their lead singer being extremely talented this formula works well. One of my favorite highlights from the album is the sixth track, “Tilsum”. Flute player Bilge Kocaarslan jumps in on vocals here. Things slow down a bit, with a very peaceful and serene atmosphere. An excellent way to break up the album and this quickly became one of my favorite songs. The third track, titled “Iyiler Siyah Giyer”, features full male vocals to mix things up a bit also. Almora is a unique sound that comes highly recommended. Since foreign music may be a turn off this album is not for everyone. For others, “Kiyamet Senfonisi” provides a great experience for operatic metal enthusiasts, as well as people newer to the genre with its nine tracks. There is enough variation mixed throughout to keep the album fresh for quite some time. This is the first album I have heard from the band and I plan on going back to track down some of their older work.