Belladonna – “The Noir Album” (2009)

Independent Release 

Review by Tony Cannella

In 2006, Italy’s Belladonna released the debut CD titled “Metaphysical Attraction” and coined the term ‘Rock Noir’ to describe their music. Now this five member band (featuring three females) return with their sophomore release “The Noir Album”. I must admit that this is my introduction to this band and my initial judgment was a bit reserved until giving my self a few listens to let the music seep in, now I’m pretty much on board with this impressive release. The band play a good mix of hard rock and metal with some electronic and alternative influences thrown in as well. The band is fronted by the sensual vocals of Luana Caraffa, she is a charismatic front person with a powerful, emotional and sexy voice that really sets a great vibe for the 11-songs and 42-minutes worth of music that are featured here.“Alchemical Romance” begins with just a biting guitar riff before giving way to the strong vocals of Luana Caraffa – a great way to begin things and a strong opening number. “Love Me Till I Die” picks up right where the previous song left off, it features a great sing-along type of chorus that really sticks with you long after you’ve heard it, this is a great melodic track that quickly became one of my favorites, which the band made a video for (it can be viewed at their MySpace site) Many of the songs are structured around the piano work of Alice Pelle in conjunction with the heavy featured guitar riffs, it’s a unique thing in the world of metal, that combined with the great vocals of Luana Caraffa blend together nicely. “The Best Tears Of Our Lives” is a potent mid-tempo number. The final song “Pure Belladonna”, starts off slow with a piano intro but quickly evolves into a bouncy mid-tempo track and it definitely left me wanting more. Other highlights include: “Phoenix Rising”, “Till Death Do Us Part”, the great ballad “My Golden Dawn” and “Holy Flame”. Overall, I liked “The Noir Album” a lot. It is one of those releases that must be allowed to grow on you, but if you give it a chance, you’ll be hooked. I was very pleasantly surprised by Belladonna and now I look forward to checking out their previous and future recordings. One thing is for certain, “The Noir Album” is very well done and Belladonna absolutely, without a doubt rocks!

Rating – 85/100

Tracklist

1. Alchemical Romance
   
2. Love Me Till I Die
   
3. Phoenix Rising
4. Till Death Do Us Part
5. A Manhattan Tale
6. My Golden Dawn
7. Holy Flame
8. What Lies Within
9. Lust Never Sleeps
10. The Best Tears of Our Lives
11. Pure Belladonna

Line Up

• Luana Caraffa – Vocals
• Dani Macchi – Guitars
• Alice Pelle – Keyboards
• Tam Scacciati – Bass 
• Alex Giuliani – Drums