Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
While prepping this review for the debut release from France’s Naos I came across the sad news that this band is no more. It is a shame really because “Inoctura” (originally released in 2009) has everything the Symphonic metal lover could ask for. Fantastic operatic vocals and a charismatic front woman in Stéphanie Montel, well crafted songs that add a lot of dramatic moments to the mix, and more. The opening intro “Inoctura” starts off this 21-minute EP and it is the obligatory intro that I could see the band starting their shows with. The next track “Last Dream, First Hope” starts off with a slower tempo, before slowly building and developing into a nice mid-tempo number. This is my favorite song and there is no denying the melodic flare that this band possessed. “Eva” is next and continues in a mid-tempo direction. “Century’s Quest” begins with a nice vocal intro by Stéphanie who is soon joined by a narrative male voice. Some rich sounding organ is featured prominently throughout this great track. On the final song “Coma Carus”, Naos really brings up the heaviness level as Stéphanie is joined by song extreme male vocals that bring things to a headbanging conclusion. Unfortunately “Inoctura” appears to be the beginning and the end for this promising French band. If this is the end, than Naos has definitely gone out on the right note.
Rating – 89/100
Tracklist
- Inoctura
- Last Dream, First Hope
- Eva
- Century’s Quest
- Coma Carus
Line Up
- Stéphanie Montel – Vocals
- Tom – Guitar
- Alexis – Keyboards
- Aurel – Drums
Links