Label : Dreamcell 11 Entertaiment/Aural Music
Review by Tony Cannella
Shortly after the release of their second full-length album, “Silvery Moonbeams”, the Spanish band Niobeth decided to call it a day and break up. Of course it is always a sad thing when a young band with so much promise decides to go their separate ways, but even more so when they released such a good album like “Silvery Moonbeams”. For about an hour this is Niobeth at their operatic, symphonic metal best – a band firing on all cylinders and loaded with confidence and a swagger. Starting with “The Banished Princess”, vocalist Itea Benedicto Colás pushes herself to the limit and choirs are used and exactly what the song needs, and is a perfect enhancement for an already solid track. The beautiful guitar harmonies introduce the next track “Eclipse”. This is one of several songs that feature male vocals; I have no idea who does them. This song sees Itea toning down the operatic style on this mid-tempo track. That is the one of the strengths of the band, Itea doesn’t feel the need to show off with how high of notes she can hit, she fits her voice perfectly to what the song calls for. The band speeds up for the beginning of “Withered Lullabies”; this is another one that features the choirs which provides the songs with a rich texture. “Sons of the Earth” is another strong track, and one of my favorites. The mournful violin intro “Stolen Innocence” leads us into the melancholic “My Dead Angel”. Other highlights include: “Campeon”, “I Know That I Know Nothing” (quite possibly the greatest song titles ever?) and “I Need You to Need Me” (2nd greatest song title ever?). The 15-minute “Sadako’s Wings of Hope” is a pure symphonic masterpiece and is as epic as epic can get. The acoustic outro “Solitude” seems like a fitting way to close the book on Niobeth. Knowing that the band has broken up makes it that much more emotional. If this is to be their epitaph, then “Silvery Moonbeams” from Niobeth is a great way to go out. Still, you can’t help but wonder what might have been. Niobeth is a band that was certainly capable of rising to the top of the Symphonic Metal hierarchy. They will be missed.
Rating – 88/100
Tracklist
- The Banished Princess
- Eclipse
- Withered Lullabies
- Sons of the Earth
- Campeon
- Stolen Innocence
- My Dead Angel
- I Know That I Know Nothing
- I Need You to Need Me
- Sadako’s Wings of Hope
- Polovtsian Dances
- Solitude
Line Up
- Itea Benedicto Colás – Vocals
- Jesus Diez Garcia – Guitars
- Javi Palacious – Bass
- Alberto Izquierdo – Drums
Links
MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site