Heonia – “Simulacra” EP (2008)

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

Heonia is a 6-piece band from France. Their line-up is as follows: Marieke (Vocals), Rudy (Drums), Cédric (Rhythm Guitars), Cléo (Bass), Damien (Keyboards) and Thomas (Lead Huitars). What I hold here in my grubby little hands is their debut 4 song EP titled “Simulacra”. I had not been familiar with this band previously but after listening to 4-tracks provided here, Heonia is a band that has really piqued my curiosity. Musically they can be described epic, symphonic metal with elements of the progressive thrown in for good measure. The opening track Despair gets things going in a positive direction. It is a very dramatic sounding track, with nice use of keyboards. The vocals of Marieke are of an operatic nature but she demonstrates some good range with her vocals, using them almost like another instrument and definitely serving as an enhancement to the music, which is of a high quality. The next track “Requiem for the Night”, starts off with a slower tempo before developing into a mid-tempo number that features an instantly infectious riff. The song has several different layers and veers off into other directions. Some male death metal-like vocals are added for enhancement. Some people like or loathe male death metal style vocals with female fronted symphonic metal but I can say that the inclusion of these vocals should not dampen anyone’s enjoyment of the songs. They are not too overdone and it definitely adds to the music. I would have to rate this song as one of my favorites. It certainly is not dull as their are a lot of cool things going on here as the band shows a bit of their prog influences. The next song “Mirror of Life” is the longest song on display here at almost 7 and-a-half minutes long. This is another solid track. It starts off slow, once again but really picks up the pace and is relentless throughout. Perhaps the finest moment on display here is the final song “My (He)art Is Bleeding”. This is indeed a ballad that features only a piano and some orchestration and Marieke really sings her heart out (no pun intended) on this one. It is just pure emotion and beauty. In fact, those two words would be perfect in describing the overall feel of the music on this CD.  “Simulacra”  features 4 songs and 25 minutes worth of high caliber, high quality music. They really are the total package, great songs and great musicianship. Musically, the one band that springs to mind when making a comparison would be Epica. The songs are dramatic and yes even epic in feel. It seems like France is producing more and more good metal bands these days and now you can add one more band to that list: Heonia.