Krypteria - All Beauty Must Die
For some reason certain bands seem to be continually overlooked by
the general rock population despite being high-caliber talents.
Y&T comes readily to mind for one. Another is German-based symphonic power metallers,
Krypteria. Perhaps it’s the unique niche they represent in the symphonic metal community.
Learn more about the band here.
Part of
Krypteria’s sound and style is very
over-the-top and dramatic. Like seeing and hearing a metal show on
Broadway with a church choir. Their sound goes beyond genre staples of
epic songs with moody atmospheric tones. For them, every song is built
for the stage. To tell a story and hook the listener.
Their fourth and newest album,
All Beauty Must Die continues in that vein, though perhaps less gothic in feel than 2009′s
My Fatal Kiss, it’s
arguably more stunning in its scope. Despite being a quartet, they
manage to create a massive wall of sound with every song, layer upon
sonic layer.
The opening track, “Messiah”, is quintessential
Krypteria,
opening with a hooky guitar riff over a thundering rhythm section. And
then of course in come the wall of theatrical vocals, elevating it all
to the next level.
The album is balanced quite nicely swaying from prodigious aural
beasts, to brilliant moments of dramatic nuance. The second track on
All Beauty Must Die,
“As I Slowly Bleed”, paints a sonic picture of tortured and emotive
angst. One can almost visualize vocalist Ji In Cho running through the
darks halls of a castle somewhere in Europe, white gossimer gown
flowing, her tormentor unknown. Well, that’s the image I get. You may
see something else, but it has that tormented feel.
From moody and dark, “Fly Away With Me” takes the album to uplifting
and majestic. The track is filled with driving guitars, and some fine
drum work from S.C. ‘Kusch’ Kuschnerous.
For fans of the more traditional symphonic metal sound, the track
“You Killed Me,” fits the bill as well as anything out there right now.
Listen to “You Killed Me”:
The album’s first single, “Live To Fight Another Day”, combines a
melodic and catchy chorus with soaring harmonies. Still, unlike most
singles, it’s not nearly the best song on the record. It does feature a
very tasty guitar solo.
For the first time the band has invited guests to perform on an album with the band. Metal Queen,
Doro
Pesch, whom the band toured with frequently in support of their last
record, makes an appearance on “Victoria”. She and front woman Ji In Cho
share lead vocals on the song. Said Ji In of Doro’s appearance:
“Doro and Krypteria
have shared the stage many times and have been friends for a while now.
She has been very good to us over the years, so the desire to have her
sing on this record was unanimous. Her vocal performance on this song is
stellar and working with her has been a fun experience again.”
One of the album’s most dynamic tracks, “Higher”, features two special guests.
Edguy bassist Tobias “Eggi” Exxel turns in some stunning lead guitar work.
Said drummer Kusch:
“Eggi has been a good friend of the band since 2005 and
we’ve always talked about how having him appear on one of our albums
would be a cool thing to do. This winter the stars aligned right and we
finally got it done.”
Axe-wielder Olli Singer (ex-
Lolita Nace), who filled in for
Krypteria guitarist Chris Siemons when he had back issues last tour, adds his own talents to this guitar-a-trois.
“The
best part about the guitar solo shoot-out threesome thing as a whole?”
queries Kusch. “Everybody brought his own style and attitude to the
table, so you can easily tell the three amigos apart – it’s a
must-hear!”
“Turn The World Around” kicks off with an almost eerie intro before
the hook and melody of the chorus sink in and you’re spellbound. Ji In’s
voice has a plaintive and earthy quality on this one, which is
counterpointed by the stark growling male vocals which appear on the
bridge.
For a pure adrenaline rush of speed and thunderous pedal work, check
out “Thanks For Nothing”. Bassist Frank Stumvoll gets some nice moments
in there, and throughout the record, for that matter.
Perhaps the album’s most intriguing song is the final cut, “The Eye
Collector”, which comes in at over 11 minutes long, and also features
male vocals. Something new for the band. In fact, all three of the guys
got a chance to sing some leads on this record.
“The Eye Collector” takes the term “epic” to a higher level. It is
extremely diverse, and shows the vast scope of the band’s musical and
songwriting abilities. At moments creepy, others ethereal, and still
others just feral and full of dark energy. This song sums up
Krypteria.
Every band will tell you their newest album is their best, or their signature album. For
Krypteria,
All Beauty Must Die is both those things. This the album that should break them out to a much larger audience.
If you are a fan of gothic, symphonic, or power metal, this album has
to be experienced. It bears repeated listening to truly get the essence
of what
Krypteria are all about.
Copas dari http://metalholic.co
01. Messiah – 3.48
02. As I Slowly Bleed – 4.23
03. Fly Away With Me – 3.41
04. You Killed Me – 3.11
05. Live To Fight Another Day – 3.35
06. Eyes Of A Stranger – 4.14
07. Thanks For Nothing – 4.08
08. Turn The World Around – 3.22
09. Higher – 4.29
10. Victoria – 2.58
11. Hurt So Bad – 3.54
Bonus:
12. Get The Hell Out Of My Way – 4.36
13. Liberatio – 4.08
14. Come Hell Or High Water – 3.23
TKP
password : my nymph
