Eyes of Eden – “Faith” (2007)

Label : Century Media Records

Review by John Davies

I remember the first time I heard the song samples on Eyes of Eden’s MySpace, I was really impressed and I was anxious for the release of this debut CD. It took a little longer to get hold of a copy from over here in North America but I was not disappointed when at last I managed to get one. “Faith” is a great accomplishment, delivering some of the cleverest song writing I’ve heard. It’s hard to label this band’s sound but I’d say it’s a blend of symphonic and progressive metal. There are no operatic vocals, no death growls and no guitar shredding, just some perfectly crafted songs with the beautiful silky vocals of Franziska Huth, some amazing orchestral accompaniment, crunchy metal guitars and very tasteful lead breaks. Also, there are excellent background vocals coming from Sandra Schleret who recently joined the band Elis. The first track, “Winter Night” is certainly a stand out song. This and many of the other songs have a fantastic whimsical nature to them. The choruses are breath taking, and the vocal melodies are ingenious, with the main vocals and background vocals often playing off of each other, as well as off the instrument parts. “Pictures” opens with a beautiful guitar intro, and progresses into a lush, melancholy gem. “Sleeping Minds” is a rather delicate sounding song, with escalating orchestral bridges that will bring you to ecstasy. “Daylight” is one of the heavier songs and has one of the most beautiful choruses. The last song called “Not Human Kind” is a lengthy 10 minutes long, which I think could have been shortened to five minutes. It just doesn’t have enough high points to justify the length. Overall, I really enjoyed this album. Great vocals, lush compositions, and carefully thought out lead breaks that compliment rather than disrupt the underlying music. Franziska definitely has her own vocal style and the band sounds very original at a time when there are so many bands popping up that sound the same. Sound quality is awesome, very crisp with a punchy drum sound.