Emetropia – Equinox
Emetropia – Equinox
Self – Released
Release Date: 23/02/2022
Running Time: 53:00
Review by Rory Bentley
7/10
Symphonic Metal eh? Some people love it, some people would rather get a sledgehammer to their intimate regions than listen to it. Personally, I love it when it’s done to its full potential. My favourite band in the whole world is Nightwish, who are the best at it and take my worried mind to somewhere that feels like magic, like I’ve been plonked in the middle of an epic movie with the most fantastical score. I also love the harder, more Progressive approach of Epica, as well as the explosive precision and sheer number of bangers that Within Temptation deal out, these are the big three and barring a few exceptions here and there, these are the ones I fuck with. It is an incredibly difficult style to pull off and there’s a reason why the big players have remained at the top of the tree for so long, rarely equalled and never bettered at producing overblown yet accessible music that has festival crowds roaring every word back at them.
Swedish quintet Emetropia are one of this year’s pretenders to the Symphonic throne with their debut album “Equinox”, but can they force their way into the great halls of orchestral bombast, or will they be another band that is met with shrugs, or worse ridicule for throwing their pompous hat into the ring? The answer is somewhere between these poles.
First the good stuff- the song writing, and production here owes a lot to “Wishmaster” era Nightwish, with driving pace, dramatic orchestral stabs and battling guitars and keyboards that stave off the potential for plodding po-faced mawkishness. ‘Seasonal Warfare’ forgoes the brooding, snooze-inducing intros of many a Symphonic also-ran and punches you with a velvet glove. ‘A Summer Breeze’ then builds on this momentum with more wholesale late 90’s Nightwish aping that once again does not overuse the orchestral elements and lets the full throttle Metal band beneath them shine front and centre. The clarity and heft of the production in this opening is very impressive considering this a debut and the band don’t have the London Studio Orchestra to rely on like Tuomos and the gang.
The solid ebb and flow of ‘That Fateful Night’ continues this show of compositional prowess, segueing beautifully between chugging verses and explosive bursts of Symphonic power. The band clearly have a firm grasp of their sound and identity even if originality isn’t paramount. The fact that they avoid the more embarrassing Gothic tropes of Symphonic Metal is a big plus here, favouring a brighter, more pastoral tone that marks them out from the eye-rolling faux melancholy of many of their peers.
Special praise must also go to lead singer Lisa Wallenberg who channels the graceful power of Epica’s Simone Simons throughout the record, always in control, never straining and cutting through the busy mix beautifully with an angelic, soaring soprano tone. When a band wears this much Nightwish influence on their sleeve, the gigantic spectre of Tarja has the potential to hang heavy so the fact that Lisa has a brighter, less weighty vocal quality goes a good way towards preventing unfavourable comparisons to the operatic Finnish powerhouse. Lisa is clearly a very proficient singer, however there are times where I’d like to hear more urgency in her voice and a little more character to the pristine perfection of otherwise incredibly impressive performances like the rousing chorus of ‘Procession Of Kings’.
Where the album predominantly falters for me is the runtime and subsequent pacing. There’s not quite enough sonic variety to prevent fatigue by the time we get to closing cut ‘His Final Endeavor’ (thankfully it is), which itself runs past the 11 minute mark. I would have happily consigned the more Power Metal by numbers ‘The Old Gods’ to a B-side to make the epic closer more palatable by the time we get to it.
Inevitably with a band on their first album that wears its influence on its sleeve, Emetropia currently lack a strong enough identity to push this score a little higher despite being very proficient at what they do. I hope this comes with time as the potential is very clear even at this early stage of their career. Overall this is an above average effort that provides an enjoyable listen and largely sidesteps the cheesy pitfalls of Symphonic Metal and gives me the warm, fuzzy feeling that I get from 90’s Nightwish. Definitely one to keep your eye on if you like your shredding with a side of string section.
‘The First Leaf Falls’ – Official Lyric Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Seasonal Warfare
02. A Summer Breeze
03. That Fateful Night
04. Lord of the Blizzards
05. The First Leaf Falls
06. Fall’s First Storm
07. The Old Gods
08. Procession of Kings
09. His Final Endeavor
LINE-UP:
Lisa Wallenberg – Lead Vocals and Lyrics
Liam Strand – Songwriting, Keyboards, Orchestras, and Vocals
Olle Renius – Lead Guitar, Vacking Vocals
Jonatan Jakobsson – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Oscar Heikkinen – Drums
Kristoffer “Bobo” Pynnönen – Bass
LINKS:
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