Anemonia – “Moonlit Numina” (2009)

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

The Montreal, Canada based band Anemonia are here to present their debut full-length release of Gothic/Symphonic/progressive metal inspired music called “Moonlit Numina”. The band is fronted by operatic vocalist extraordinaire Cassiopée. The band history dates back to late 2003 and they have previously released three demos and a single, prior to releasing their current debut full-length. This CD features 12-songs and 54-minutes worth of some great, dramatic, atmospheric metal with plenty of bombastic elements and in-your-face melodies, and the vocals of Cassiopée really leads the way.  The ultra-atmospheric intro of “Until Aeon’s Dawn” starts things off and leads us into the fantastic tune (and my favorite on the CD), “Enchanting Melodies of Eternal Nights”. This song is just so relentless and the vocal performance by Cassiopée is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. She’s got an operatic style, but there is so much strength and power in her voice, that she really pushes the boundaries of what an operatic metal singer is (or should be). “The Quest” is next and it begins with a keyboard/organ intro played by Philippe Beauvais and this song keeps the momentum going, this is one of the more melodic tracks, but it is no less powerful. “Pleasures & Satisfaction” is next and this is just a straight forward, riff heavy number that quickly became another favorite. Other highlights include: “Cruel Beauties”, “The Beginning” and “When Midnight Rings”. The final track is the epic 8-minute “Nocturnal Eden” and this song features all of the musical precision that this band will become known for. This is a great closing number that features some more great singing and musicianship. A great opening statement from this Montreal band. Of course, because they have a female operatic singer they are automatically lumped into the Gothic metal genre, but I hear some progressive elements as well. It would be easy to compare them to bands like Tarja-era Nightwish and bands of that nature, but I really don’t hear a comparison that would do the band justice. There are some great elements here, the heavy guitars are highlighted just as much as the fantastic (and I can’t find enough positive adjectives to describe the vocals) singing of Cassiopée. “Moonlit Numina” is a total group effort from a band that totally took me by surprise. The level of musicianship and the songs that can be found on this CD (and their first one as well) is of a very, very high caliber. The band certainly put their heart and soul into each and every track and that can be found in the overall quality of the material.