EnCHanTya – “Dark Rising” (2012)

Label : Massacre Records

Review by Tony Cannella

From Portugal comes the symphonic power metal band EnCHanTya. They have just issued their debut album via Massacre records, entitled, “Dark Rising”. Enchantya formed in 2004 and after a demo that same year and an EP a year later, 2012 finally sees the release of their debut full-length. “Dark Rising” features 13-songs and a playing time of one hour. EnCHanTya offers beauty and the beast style vocals – now here’s the twist – both styles are performed by Rute Fevereiro. It is unbelievable that she manages to pull off both the operatic vocals and the extreme vocals flawlessly. Her vocals definitely add some depth to the songs on “Dark Rising” – and allow the band to mix atmospheric and beautiful songs with a heavier and more extreme style; it is a formula that works seamlessly throughout “Dark Rising”. In addition to Rute, EnCHanTya is a band that possesses some top flight musicianship. The intro “Unwavering Faith” segues into “No Stars in the Sky”.This is a strong opener with some cool operatic vocals and a guitar riff that maintains its consistency throughout and the first time you hear the extreme vocals, in conjunction with her operatic vocals, this works great. “Night in Whisper” speeds up the pace a little bit and gives this song a bit of a Tarja era Nighwish vibe.“Your Tattoo” is amazing, the song features a great prog-style keyboard solo, a cool guitar solo and some memorable vocals from Rute. Other highlights include: “Clad in Black”, “She Devil” and “Dark Rising”. Throughout “Dark Rising”, EnCHanTya manages to keep things fresh and interesting with changing tempos and plenty of melody to go along with the heavier parts.The operatic/symphonic metal genre gets more crowded by the day, but there is always room for quality bands like EnCHanTya.“Dark Rising” is a strong debut and I look forward to hearing more in the future.

 Rating – 85/100

Tracklist

1. Unwavering Faith
2. No Stars in the Sky
3. Night in Whisper
4. Clad in Black
5. Longing for You
6. Your Tattoo
7. She Devil
8. Ocean Drops
9. Dark Rising
10. Winter Dreams
11. Fear Me When You Fall
12. Interlude: Become of Me
13. Moonlighting the Dreamer

Line Up

• Rute Fevereiro – Vocals
• Nuno “Seven” – Guitar
• Bruno Prates – Guitar
• Manuel Pinto – Bass
• Joao Monteiro – Drums

Links

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