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DARK MOOR – Between Light And Darkness |
Arise Records | |
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Posted: 7/18/04Reviewed by: Dirt Category: Symphonic Rock/Metal Released: 5/7/02 Label URL: www.arisemetal.com Artist URL: www.dark-moor.com | |
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Dark Moor formed in 1994 in
Madrid, Spain, and their debut, Shadowland, arrived in 1999.
Between Light And Darkness is the band’s fifth release and
the final one to feature lead vocalist Elisa C. Martin, guitarist Albert
Maroto, and drummer Jorge Sáez. Apparently there were some musical
differences between them and the remaining members, guitarist Enrik Garcia
and bassist Anan Kaddouri. This album is a bit of a
mish-mosh of styles. The first four songs are acoustic and feature
an actual string quartet. The remaining material is full-on symphonic
metal and includes the Japanese/Korean bonus tracks from their 2002 cd,
The Gates Of Oblivion, and their 2000 cd, The Hall Of The
Olden Dreams, plus an orchestral version of "Dies Irae."
The acoustic tracks ("Memories," "From Dawn To Dusk," "A Lament Of Misery," and "Echoes of the Sea") feature acoustic guitar, flute, violin, piano, and other symphonic touches, and present the band in the best light. While Elisa’s accent is apparent she has a beautiful voice, which is given the spotlight on each song. If you like the female vocal style found in Lacuna Coil, you’ll enjoy her. The band’s symphonic metal approach on "The Shadow Of The Nile" and "The Fall Of Melnibone" is less interesting to me, as they come off sounding like so many other bands in the genre.
The Bloody Truth: Symphonic metal is definitely not my favorite style of metal, so most bands that perform this style will rarely, if ever, receive a high rating from me. However, if you like this genre, you should check these guys out because they certainly perform as good as any other symphonic metal band I’ve heard. The band’s acoustic material featuring the string quartet was pleasing to me though. Unfortunately, it only accounted for half the cd, and thus the mid-range rating.
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