ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Hanging Doll
REASON & MADNESS ONCE BITTEN MUSIC 25.5.09 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk A female fronted orchestral gothic metal band! Now that strikes right into the centre of my twisted musical taste but it also means that ‘Hanging Doll’ have some serious competition to complete with if ‘Reason & Madness’ is to deliver the goods. It requires some serious commitment to pull off a genre that merges operatic female vocals, orchestral undercurrents and extreme metal riffing into a pleasurable listening experience. I’m therefore impressed and heartened that ‘Hanging Doll’ have produced a fantastic full length debut that delivers all the pomp, raw emotional and melody required to kick them firmly into the mainstream alongside the likes of After Forever, Within Temptation and Draconian. The opening track is a haunting piano solo played over a subtly atmospheric soundtrack and sets the scene for when ‘Blood Ridden Skies’ enters in its full majestic glory, only then do you realise the true power of Sally Holliday’s vocals backed by a band that means business. As the album envelopes the listener with tracks such as ‘Sweet Retribution’, ‘Echoes of Sorrow’ and for my money the best track on the album ‘A Formidable Mistake’ are delivered in the same gothic majesty. Each track swerves between extremes of operatic subtlety and aggressive metal vocals with remarkable fluidity. It takes supreme effort to deliver this type of music, both technically and perceptively, merging so many dominate musical forces can sometimes overload the listeners senses and produce a sound that’s comes across as dysfunctional. This has not happened with this album and Hanging Doll have created a truly symphonic sound that generates a cacophony of wonderful melodramatic emotions that impact upon the senses on so many levels. I doubt if this genre will ever reap the commercial rewards it deserves but Hanging Doll should have no doubts that commercial success didn’t come from a lack of ability, they have delivered a master class in ‘female fronted orchestral gothic metal’. Bostin! www.lividtheband.com |