Dakrya – “Monumento” (2008)

Label: Another Sphere Records/279 Productions

Review by Tony Cannella

Dakrya is a Greek word written with Latin characters and means Tears In metal circles they are a six person band from Greece. They have been in existence since 2004 and feature three female members in their ranks: Sophia X (keyboards & piano), Christina (lead vocals) and Thomais (Classic vocals). The band is completed by George D. (guitars), Alex D. (bass) and Stauros V. (drums). Musically, they are described as Theatrical Atmospheric Metal and they have just issued their debut effort titled “Monumento”. The opening track “Crucifixion of Faith”opens with some really cool keyboard music and some male spoken word passages before things speed up and get heavier. Vocalists Christina and Thomais work well together and the male brutal vocals are supplied by Dagwn (from the band Nethescerial) throughout the CD. Next up is “Thorns of Punishment”. This is one monster of a song. It is heavy, with a great guitar riff, with lots of changes and the interplay between the different vocal styles is a definite highlight and one of this bands strengths. “Newborn Hope”is next. Once again it begins with an eerie keyboard passage. It starts off slow, before getting heavier and evolving into just a classy track with plenty of atmosphere. Once again this song features some spoken word passages. Next is “Reflexions & Illusions”. This is more of a straight forward metal track, but effective nonetheless. Next, we have “Waters of Oblivion”. This is more of a mid-tempo number, but it still has plenty of aggression and great vocals. It keeps things going nicely. “Revelations of a Madman” is probably my favorite track here. It’s got an epic feel and the three vocal styles are amazing and really gives the song an added. “Black Opera (Opus IX)” is another favorite. At 7 minutes long this is longest track. “Wingless Souls” closes things out on a classic note. This just a piano song with operatic vocals and orchestration. This is a beautiful track that really wraps things up nicely. The majority of the songs were written by Sophia X. She is obviously very talented in that respect as the songs are not your average, run-of-the-mill metal songs. It is quite apparent that she puts a lot of thought and effort into the material.  “Monumento” is a fitting title for this CD. It’s sound and ambition is indeed monumental. The songs presented here are heavy and aggressive whilst still being melodic and accessible. The music ranges from beautiful, symphonic passages to brutal all-out metal. The different vocal styles are a nice touch and a good way to change things up a bit. All of the vocal styles fit perfectly with the songs and they do a great job in conveying the emotions and feelings they are meant to. The talent and style shown by the two female singers is immense and the male brutal vocals are done very well. “Monumento” features 10 songs and 53-minutes worth of well thought out music that has a lot to offer the listener.