Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Hungry for more female fronted Symphonic Metal? Well, look no further than the Russian band Sphinx. Actually the band is fronted by two female vocalists and bass player Andrey Varenik chips in with clean male vocals throughout the CD. The first thing that grabbed my attention on this great CD is that the band delivers such a big sound. In addition to their Symphonic metal direction you also hear some very sophisticated prog metal leanings as well. “White Moon” is Sphinx’s follow-up to their 2008 debut “Prizrak” and although this one is only 4-songs and only 20-minutes long, the scope of the CD is simply huge. “Wild Wind” starts things off and it is quite a beautiful song that picks up in tempo as the track progresses. The next track “White Moon – 2” is one of the heavier songs you will find here. “Skyline” is another highlight. The two female vocalists provide dramatic sounding operatic vocals and are quite affective when they are harmonizing, like on the mind blowing final track “Twilight”. The male vocals provided by Andrey are clean and he adds a special touch to the proceedings. “Twilight” also features a bit of extreme male vocals and a healthy dose of orchestration. To say that I was impressed with Sphinx is an understatement. The music is so involved, without being overdone. “White Moon” is just an excellent CD that is sure to please fans of “Once” era Nightwish, Epica and Kamelot.
Rating – 93/100
Tracklist
- Wild Wind
- White Moon – 2
- Skyline
- Twilight
Line Up
- Natalia Telykh – Vocals
- Elena Eskina – Vocals
- Anton “Lie” Chetvergov – Guitar
- Andrey “Chronos” Potapov – Guitar
- Andrey “Andersen” Varenik – Bass, vocals
- Vyacheslav Kozlov – Drums
Links