Upon Wings – “Afterlife” EP (2013)

Label : Sword of the Spirit LLC

Review by Tony Cannella

“Afterlife” is the debut EP from the Detroit based operatic metal band Upon Wings. The EP features only 4-songs and 15-minutes worth of material but from the very beginning it made a positive impression on me. Musically there is a lot to like about this band, but it was the enthralling vocals of Anne Autumn Erickson along with the thoughtful, introspective lyrics that drew me in.

Anne Autumn Erickson does have an operatic vocal style but it is not over-the-top. She knows exactly when to rein it in and be a little more subdued. Some singers are so enamored with the fact they have this immense vocal ability that sometimes they go a little overboard. Continue reading »

Anne Autumn Erickson – Upon Wings

Interview by Scott Brady

When I first listened to the “Afterlife” EP from Anne Autumn Erickson and her band Upon Wings my first impressions were this has to come from Europe due to the nature of its sound. However this metal siren and her band are not European whatsoever. Anne Autumn Erickson hails from Detroit Michigan. Many Americans are well aware that Detroit Michigan has fallen on some hard dark economic times in recent years. Anne Autumn Erickson is definitely a light coming from a very dark place and in the years to come will give Detroit Michigan something to be proud of much like Kid Rock and Ted Nugent and Motown have. Kiss even titled a song called “Detroit Rock City” and a young upcoming Female Metal singer has chosen to pick up the rich musical traditions coming from Detroit and carry the flag over into Female Fronted Gothic metal.

US Operatic Metal Band UPON WINGS Reveals “Afterlife” Track Listing & Cover Artwork

UPON WINGS will release its new EP, “Afterlife”, on March 5 via Sword Of The Spirit Records LLC. The CD features guest vocals and production from Brett Hestla (ex-CREED, DARK NEW DAY).

“Afterlife” track listing:

01. Afterlife
02. You Are My Weapon
03. Take Away
04. The Dream (I’m Only Happy When I’m Sleeping) Continue reading »

US Operatic Metal Band UPON WINGS To Release New EP “Afterlife” on March 5th

Upon Wings is proud to announce the release of new EP, “Afterlife”, featuring guest vocals and production from Brett Hestla (Ex-Creed, Dark New Day). “Afterlife” is scheduled for a March 5th release on Sword of the Spirit Records LLC.

Rock and metal fans will recognize plenty of names on “Afterlife”. Kid Rock recording engineer and Grammy-nominated mixing engineer Glenn Brown mastered the single, while Brett Hestla (ex-Creed, Dark New Day) provided guest vocals and production talents. More metal assistance for the upcoming EP came from producer and guitarist Kevin Jardine, best known as the guitarist of Canadian nu metal giants Slaves on Dope, formerly on Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s Divine Recordings label. Drummer Peter Tzaferis also contributed to the EP. Continue reading »

Eerie Sounds Reviews : Les Fragments de la Nuit – “Demain, C’etait Hier” (2010)

Label : Equilibrium Music

Review by Stina

It’s your call how best to experience “Demain, C’était Hier“, the second studio effort from French nocturnal poets Les Fragments de la Nuit, formed in 2005 by leaders Ombeline Chardes and Michel Villar: the album has its own thematic undercurrent referring to the concept of cyclicity, constoruction and deconstruction (the title itself serves as a metaphor for this), but the wordless aggregation of sounds that composes it (this album is totally instrumental, so no vocals can be heard throughout) makes it easy for the listener to appropriate the music freely, without being biased by lyrics or explicit hallmarks. One thing for sure, however, is that is best listened to at night: in fact, Ombeline and Michel refer to their music as ‘music for the night’, their monicker itself being an explicit allusion to their nightttime songwriting habits. Night is the perfect moment for Les Fragments de la Nuit’s graceful yet impetuously propulsive soundscapes to emerge to their full effectiveness and intrinsic beauty, weaved through tightening cyclones of viola, violin, cello and piano – sometimes joined by French horn and percussions. A description that might feel familiarly resonant with neoclassicalism at first, but “Demain, C’était Hier” is, in truth, a chameleonic record with many left turns – albeit more subtle and heterogenic than one might expect. That’s because Les Fragments de la Nuit’s sound-world is uncommonly broad, and even more uncommonly fervent: the members of this ensemble have quite the eclectic taste in music, with influences ranging from Zeuhl to Post-Rock or even plain Thrash Metal, and cemented by a natural disposition for movie scores (which is the reason that led to the foundation of the Versailles collective), all wrapped up in their beautiful and airy chamber rock arrangements and pulsating vividly under the textures of strings. What’s stunning about LLdlN’s music, however, is how it is capable of transcending genre allusions as well as time and space, becoming all about magic and feeling, about how just everything in the record effortlessly clicks: its classy, dynamic construction, its oneiric feel, the way it captures you on a journey to whatever destination you choose. Waste no time on this review and hear for yourself, you will fall in love much as I did.

Rating – 90/100

Tracklist

1. Zenith
2. Cyclogenese
3. Teletemps
4. Cyrius B
5. Soupir
6. Allegra Aeternae
7. Marche Nocturne
8. Les Canons du Ciel [ In Memory of Bolal Dia ]
9. Demain, c’était Hier
10. Lunistice
11. Des Restes Vivaces
12. Thaïmiz Dih Enemy

Line Up

• Ombeline Chardes – Violin
• Cendrine Mazzucco – Violin
• Aurore Moutomé Miath – Violin
• Ian-Elfinn Rosiu – Cello
• Michel Villar – Piano & Percussions
• Anne Frèches – Vocals
• Marion Gomar – Vocals
• Christophe Gaurier – French Horn

Links

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