Label : Massacre Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Following on the heels of their excellent 2008 5-song demo, you would think it was only a matter of time before some label came calling, right? Well it took a few years but Massacre records made the wise move in signing the German Epic, Symphonic metal outfit Arven. On their debut album “Music of Light” Arven proves that their demo was no fluke and has released an album that captures the band in all their metallic, melodic glory. Arven is compromised of six members (5 females and 1 male) and the composition and execution of the material on “Music of Light” is well done and never fails to deliver upon the promise of the demo. “Music of Light” is introduced with a violin intro and a folkish sounding beginning, before the band joins in and the song becomes heavier and forceful with strong choir parts and the great operatic vocals of Carina Hanselmann. The classic metal of “On Flaming Wings” is next and Arven shows just how diverse they can be and the chorus to this song is quite memorable and remains in your head long after you’ve heard it. “Raise Your Cups” is next and it has a great up-tempo medieval vibe to it, this is easily one of my favorites. “My Dear Friend” is a ballad that I really loved; the main part of the song is Carina’s vocals – which are just dripping with emotion – accompanied by piano before the rest of the band joins in later on in the song. Arven follows the ballad with the hugely metallic “World of Hatred”. Other highlights include: “Dark Red Desire”, “Midwinter Nights”, “Ruined Castle” and the excellent “A Stranger’s Story”. With “Music of Light” Arven is something of a revelation in the metal universe. Make no mistake about it Arven is not re-inventing the wheel or symphonic metal with “Music of Light” , but who cares, it’s all about the songs and quality of the music and based on that, “Music of Light” is a thunderous, majestic and huge success. Arven is fast becoming one of my favorite bands and “Music of Light” will make my top 10 list for 2011 for sure.
Rating – 94/100
Tracklist
- Music of Light
- On Flaming Wings
- Raise Your Cups
- My Dear Friend
- World of Hatred
- Dark Red Desire
- Midwinter Nights
- Till Death Do Us Part
- Ruined Castle
- A Stranger’s Story
Line Up
- Carina Hanselmann – Vocals
- Anastasia Schmidt – Guitar
- Ines Thomé – Guitar
- Lena Yatsula – Piano
- Lisa Marie Geiß – Bass
- Till Felden – Drums
Links