Independent Release
Review By Tony Cannella
Illuminata is the name of an exciting female fronted, symphonic metal outfit from Austria. The band released their full-length debut in 2008 called “From the Chalice of Dreams” which was well received in metal circles. Now, the band returns with an equally impressive 3-song EP, that goes by the title of “A Frame of Beauty”. The CD only includes 17-minutes worth of music, but I am sure these songs are designed to hold their fans over until they can release another full-length, hopefully soon.The title track “A Frame of Beauty” is a solid opener and the bands symphonic style is on full display here. A bombastic track that really sets a great tempo to the proceedings and also features flute played by lead singer Katarzyna. Track 2 “Strormy Sea” is – in my opinion – the best of the three songs that are presented here. It starts off with a piano intro before developing into a dramatic song, with a grinding guitar riff and the vocals of Katarzyna and Lisa are very strong and some of the harmony stuff they do is very unique in the realm of symphonic metal. The song has a definite epic feel to it. “Czlowiek Bez Twarzy” is the last of the three songs and it is an emotional acoustic ballad that really brings the CD to a close. 17-minutes does not seem like much, but it should definitely help build the anticipation for the next full-length by Illuminata. Overall, the 3-songs on this EP are very well done and a fine representation of what this band is about. They should appeal to fans of Nightwish, Within Temptation and bands of that ilk. “A Frame of Beauty” features a lot of passion and power and the band is poised to make a name for themselves in the world of symphonic, power metal. Not bad, not bad at all.
Rating – 75/100
Tracklist
- A Frame of Beauty
- Stormy Sea
- Czlowiek Bez Twarzy
Line Up
- Katarzyna Nieniewska – Vocals, Flute
- Lisa Tomantschger – Vocals
- Lukas Knöbl – Guitar
- Christoph Vide – Bass
- Sabrina Supan – Keyboard, Backing Vocals
- Dave Slut – Drums, Backing Vocals
Links
MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site