gothic metal / pop metal
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When I say 'female fronted metal', what is the first thing you think about? After Forever? Nightwish? Doro? Evanescence? Well, perhaps you can try Escalane, who just brought a breath of fresh air to that scene. They're not the heaviest band in the genre, but they're definitely one of the most catchy ones. A bit like with Elyose some months ago, I'm quite impressed by this Finnish pop-metal quartet.
What makes Escalane so interesting, is the great blend of modern thrash metal and poppy vocals. While the music often reminds me of bands like Megadeth or, in some cases Pain and at their softest Him, the vocals have something innocent, something gentle and nice. At first, it might sound quite strange but once you're halfway through opener 'Waiting For The Sun' you will be singing along in absolute delight.
Most of the time, of course, some of the usual female fronted gothic metal band come shining through but that's ok. In fact, that makes 'Careless' an awesome song. There's more great songs here, sometimes loaded with immersive electronics. 'Seven Months', for example, which could be my favorite on this album since it reminds me a lot of some of my all time favorite bands, The Gathering.
Strangely enough, deciding to become a female fronted pop metal band was a very good move for these youngsters. They have in fact become on of the catchiest and immersive gothic metal band I've heard in recent years. These guys can play and this girl can sing, that's for damn sure. They also know a thing or two about decent songwriting, which of course is always a tremendous plus. Just check out a song like 'This Disgrace', which will make you dance.
Speaking about dancing, I was just having a smokebreak outside and wondered about Escalane covering Eurythmics' 'When Tomorrow Comes'. I think that would be an awesome cover, perfectly able to compete with anything Atrocity did on their 'Werk 80' albums. Yes, they are that good, they don't even need that cover to convince since their own songs are good enough to gain them a lot of attention.
So my advice is simple, check it out and then check it out again. There might be a possibility that you have to listen to this twice before the euphoria kicks in but when it does, oh man, you'll be on a glorious journey through female fronted metal country. Let's keep an eye on these youngsters, shall we?
Serge
What makes Escalane so interesting, is the great blend of modern thrash metal and poppy vocals. While the music often reminds me of bands like Megadeth or, in some cases Pain and at their softest Him, the vocals have something innocent, something gentle and nice. At first, it might sound quite strange but once you're halfway through opener 'Waiting For The Sun' you will be singing along in absolute delight.
Most of the time, of course, some of the usual female fronted gothic metal band come shining through but that's ok. In fact, that makes 'Careless' an awesome song. There's more great songs here, sometimes loaded with immersive electronics. 'Seven Months', for example, which could be my favorite on this album since it reminds me a lot of some of my all time favorite bands, The Gathering.
Strangely enough, deciding to become a female fronted pop metal band was a very good move for these youngsters. They have in fact become on of the catchiest and immersive gothic metal band I've heard in recent years. These guys can play and this girl can sing, that's for damn sure. They also know a thing or two about decent songwriting, which of course is always a tremendous plus. Just check out a song like 'This Disgrace', which will make you dance.
Speaking about dancing, I was just having a smokebreak outside and wondered about Escalane covering Eurythmics' 'When Tomorrow Comes'. I think that would be an awesome cover, perfectly able to compete with anything Atrocity did on their 'Werk 80' albums. Yes, they are that good, they don't even need that cover to convince since their own songs are good enough to gain them a lot of attention.
So my advice is simple, check it out and then check it out again. There might be a possibility that you have to listen to this twice before the euphoria kicks in but when it does, oh man, you'll be on a glorious journey through female fronted metal country. Let's keep an eye on these youngsters, shall we?
Serge
