Band: Epinikion
CD Title: Epinikion
Year: 2007
Website: www.Epinikion.com
MySpace: myspace.com/epinikionband
Label: None
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks Exclusive
Rating: 7.5 / 10
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Epinikion are a female-fronted Power Metal band from the Ukraine and I first found
out about them when their bassist contacted me via email a couple of days ago.
The first thing I want to mention about this release is the cover art. This is
possibly one of the best, if not the best, covers of this year.
So, it looks great, but does it sound any good?
I must admit that that I had a bit of trouble adjusting to the vocals at first, but
I've found that they become more natural the more you listen to the album.
The album is opened with "The Battlefield" - an instrumental piece - this track
really builds up the atmosphere and gives the listener some idea of what's in store
for them.
I wasn't sure about "The Conqueror" in the beginning, as the intro reminded me of
something which might have appeared in a videogame (before the days of the Xbox 360
and PS3). With that said, it soon grew on me as the track went on.
"Autumn" is where I actually started to get hooked in with this album. The intro is
beautiful and the soft vocals bring a new dimension to the album. This is one of my
three favourites from this release.
I've decided that Epinikion are the masters of the track intro now. The intro for
"The Sword" creates a mysterious feel, before entering Power Metal territory. I
really like the bass in this track.
"The Sorcerer" misses out on being in my top three for this album very narrowly. The
rhythm in this track is really good. Again, I feel I should mention that it's
difficult for me to get used to the vocals. This may because, in parts, she sings
lower than I would expect, and then switches to a higher pitch. I've no doubt that
she has a fantastic range, but I feel that some consistantsy within the songs would
be better (in my case anyway) - that way the listener would have something to latch
onto and, perhaps, attempt to sing along.
"The Beast", although being the one of the album's shorter tracks, is my favourite.
The vocals, coupled with the piano, create a beautifully haunting effect.
"Varangians" is my second favourite from the album and the first track that I heard
from the band (on their MySpace). The vocals, during the verses, are a lot deeper
than expected - but in this case they really suit the song. This song is also catchy
enough that the melody stays in your head long after you've finished listening to
the album.
"Olga" begins in a relatively calm, yet mysterious/creepy, way before building into
the kind of song that I can imagine hundreds of Bloodstock Festival goers raising
their hands to.
The album closes with "The City Of Heroes". This track gradually builds up and
turns out to be a triumphant way to finish the album. The lead guitar really hits
the right spot!
I'm not usually a fan of Power Metal, although I do dip into the genre occasionally
(with bands like Edguy, etc), and so I really wasn't sure if this album was going to
be for me. While it's not something I'd usually listen to, I have to admit that it's
very good. The musicianship and the song arrangement are amazing and well worth
checking out. This album is very well produced which provides the listener with a
fantastic listening experience.
01 The Battlefield
02 The Conqueror
03 Autumn
04 The Sword
05 The Sorcerer
06 The Beast
07 Varangians
08 Olga
09 The City Of Heroes
