Lumine Criptica – “Fading Into Darkness” EP (2010)

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

From Argentina, Lumine Criptica plays heavy, Gothic power metal. The band has just issued their debut EP, “Fading Into Darkness”, a collection of songs that showcases the powerful, atmospheric nature of their musical style. Lumine Criptica features two lead vocals with Sabrina Filipcic handling the female vocals, whilst bass player Cristian Trefny contributes growls. The 8-minute opener “You Will Never Rest” wastes little time in getting things off to a commanding start. This song features a number of tempo changes and even has a progressive slant to the track. The main guitar riff is quite forceful and just gallops along at a brisk pace. Both vocal styles are on display here as well. The next track, “The Trace of My Beloved” continues the pacing set by the previous track. More solid riffing and the duel vocals are once again at the forefront. I was very impressed with Sabrina’s voice. She has a solid style that comes pretty close to operatic, but not quite – her style is similar to Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel. I also quite like the way the growling vocals were done. They don’t overwhelm anything and are only there to enhance the songs. Make no mistake about it; Sabrina’s voice is the one that is out front for the most part. Next up, is the moody “The Cold Outside”. Some cool changes in tempo, makes this one my favorite. “Insomnia” is next and along with the album closer “Me”, really brings things to a heavy and aggressive conclusion. “Fading Into Darkness” provides an impressive introduction to Lumine Criptica.