Holiness – “Beneath the Surface” (2010)

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

“Beneath the Surface” is the title of the debut release, from Brazil’s Holiness. This female fronted band mixes hard rock and melodic power metal, fused with memorable hooks and catchy choruses to create a potent debut album and one that will stay in your memory banks after the first listen. The symphonic intro track “Rise” gets this 10-song 40-minute opus off the ground. “The Truth” kicks things into high gear with a crunchy guitar riff and Stéfanie Schirmbeck’s instantly like-able clean vocal delivery. She really does have an appealing quality to her voice. Holiness utilizes layered harmonic background vocals to perfection throughout the CD, and the track “What I Want” is an excellent example of this. “Higher” takes things down a few notches in tempo, and starts off with some nice piano, before getting a bit heavier, but still maintaining a mid-tempo pace. Other highlights include: “Waiting for a Change”, “Take Me Closer” and “Breath in Time”. The final track is a cover version of the Alanis Morissette track, “Uninvited”, an odd choice for covers but the band does an excellent job in putting their own spin on the song. The whole CD is well written, produced and performed. With “Beneath the Surface”, Holiness has released a quality debut and a fine beginning for this Brazilian metal band. As far as I know, this band is not yet signed. It’s a shame actually; they would be the perfect addition to a label like Frontiers.

Rating – 90/100

Tracklist

1. Rise
2. The Truth
3. What I Want
4. Higher
5. Waiting for a Change
6. Take Me Closer
7. Mine
8. Into the Light
9. Breath in Time
10. Uninvited

Line Up

• Stéfanie Schirmbeck – Vocals
• Fabrício Reiz – Guitars
• Hércules Moreira – Bass
• Cristiano Reis – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Twitter