Midnattsol has caught a good deal of flack over the years. The German group formed back in 2002, and signed to Napalm Records in 2005 for the release of their debut full-length, Where Twilight Dwells. It was met with reviews completely destroying the album, to calling it simply mediocre. However, three years later, Midnattsol followed up that release with Nordlys, which gained the group some positive feedback, but still nothing to realy go crazy over. The Metamorphosis Melody is the third full-length recording for the group, and it becomes a rather critical release for the group given the mild improvements that have occured between the time of the first and second CDs. So, will the band manage to impress this time, or will this be another release people claim only hit store shelves because of one member's family lineage?
For those unaware, Midnattsol features vocalist Carmen Elise Espenaes, who happens to be Liv Kristine's sister, vocalist from Theatre of Tragedy and Leaves' Eyes, which became a hot button for the group once their debut album hit and fizzled out of the spotlight almost immediately. Whether this is the reason the band found home with Napalm Records or not doesn't really matter...at least not anymore. The group has pulled together, and overall, The Metamorphosis Melody is a pretty enjoyable album that blends in Folk Metal concepts without actually focusing on using instruments specifically related to setting that style's literal atmosphere, and presents a rather strong female fronted melodic Gothic Metal approach that is enjoyable, though nothing all that new or spectacular. "Alva" sets the tone of the album a bit, and acts as a good introduction to the title track "The Metamorphosis Melody", which introduces some heavy music that sticks more to a Gothic Metal approach, but with some Folk influences thrown in for good measure. The singing style is soft and somewhat low, but not too low, keeping to a traditional "indoor voice" volume level. The only issue here is that the vocals, while having a decent range for what is being pulled off, don't really seem to change much, and while on key, seem to sound a bit from the back of the throat. There are very few moments where they have a little extra energy in them, such around the four minute mark of "Spellbound" where they become a little higher and don't sound as back of the throat, being more projected, and it sounds beautiful. It's really sad this doesn't happen more often on the recording honestly.
For the most part, The Metamorphosis Melody is a nice combination of Folk and Gothic Metal, though the Folk elements often seem to feel a little less then they should. "Spellbound" has some nice keyboard work that truly sets up a stronger, obvious Folk atmosphere to the track, and the beautiful "A Poet's Prayer" really hits home thanks to the more energetic vocal performance that feels suiting to the passionate energy of the music, as well as shows more range then on previous tracks, though never really deviating from that specific projecting pitch. The song itself stands well amongst the album, and becomes one of the few songs on here that truly sound unique to the release while the rest sound solid, but nothing too original or like "A Poet's Prayer" with the attitude and atmosphere it easily captures. But, this is where the album starts to really pick up, as some of the following tracks really do show promise through more beautiful and stronger musical performances, such as "Forlorn" which is an emotionally moving track that rivals the atmosphere given off by it's predecessor, "A Poet's Prayer". On top of that, there's the Folk ballad "Goodbye", a much slower track with heavy Folk influence that features a very strong vocal performance that shows off the true range that is available, but just never used throughout the recording outside some random moments for some reason, projecting to higher pitches and with more emphasis and energy then on tracks like "The Metamorphosis Melody" and "A Poet's Prayer".
There isn't anything really that bad about this effort at all. Musically, The Metamorphosis Melody is a strong album that shows the band progressing and growing more as a group, and it does really show some potential for the group. The production for the recordng is nice, being a little muddy but still sounding like a clearer modern release that allows everything to come through at decent levels, including the bass which helps aid the already heavy from distortion guitars. The drumming does an excellent job at offering some nice variety to the music, and really helps to enhance the atmosphere of many song, giving them a little more drive and power. However, the main gripe to this would be the vocals, which are good for what they are, but quickly become boring due to the lack of variety offered on the recording, as well as the lack of energy, and often the missing passion that would really compliment the music and it's strong atmosphere. Outside of "Goodbye" and the stunning performance given vocally on that song, as well as some fleeting moments on "Spellbound" and "My Re-Creation", it feels as if that aspect of the recording was restrained, an issue the band battled with before.
So, overall, Midnattsol is definitely growing for the better, but still has a decent amount of room to grow. It's not a bad album, the songs are quite enjoyable most of the time, and the only thing is the vocals can get a little bland and are simply nothing too unique for this style of music. What else is there to say about this album that hasn't already been said? If you enjoyed the band's previous effort, then chances are good you'll enjoy most of this release, as well as also know what you're getting yourself into. It makes for a decent listen on a rainy day, but after a few spins, even then you'll be playing a few songs, then putting it away into your collection, but at least there are some songs here that do have enough of a presence to make a strong impression on the listener and have him or her coming back from tiem to time.
|
