Label : Ravenheart Records
Review by Luisa Mercier
“Blood & Stone” is the debut of the UK based singer/songwriter Sakara and features several styles. Not only metal, but also more experimental stuff with an electronic vibe.
After the first track, which is quite classic metal sound follows “Rise” which is more based on electronic. Sakara‘s vocals are also versatile: she swings from clean high-pitched vocals to harsh growls. The whole concept behind the record is quite spiritual, her name too was inspired by the ancient Egyptian burial place, Saqqara. “Join You” starts as gentle piano and voice ballad, slowly building into a crescendo that blows in a rock explosion in the end.
“By My Side” is slightly shorter than the prevous ones and quite catchy, it would make a nice single.
“She of the Throne” has a slight ethnic feeling, which becomes quite menacing throghout the song, while “Ishtar” as the title itself reveals is inspired by Eastern music and it is dedicated to the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war and sex. Celtic-flavored is “Earth Song”, which also has other folk influences. Sakara also shows another side of her vocals, singing in a quite operatic way. “Two Wolves” is standard Gothic rock, “Soul Loss” is a rocking track as well with quite aggressive edges. The “Kunoichi” are female Ninjas who used their feminine arts to get closer to the enemy. This closing track features dark vocals highlighting once more her vocal versatility. Lover of gothic rock, but also of more alternative sounds will appreciate this!
Rating – 75/100
Tracklist
- Bleed 6
- Rise
- Join You
- By My Side
- She of the Throne
- Ishtar 5:52
- Earth Song 7
- 2 Wolves
- Soul Loss
- Kunoichi
Line Up
- Sakara – Vocals
- Stephen Clarke – Composer, producer