Ylisia – Underneath
Ylisia – Underneath
WormholeDeath Records
Release Date: 06/12/2024
Running Time: 42:22
Review by David Barreto
7.5/10
Hello my good friends! I wasn’t planning to review anything today but I realized “Underneath” by Dutch band, Ylisia, has already been released! But better late than never, right? And of course I have a soft spot for Dutch bands since I lived there for a while…
Ylisia is a new band, formed in 2021, and releasing their debut album in November of 2023. Now it’s been re-issued via WormholeDeath Records worldwide. So if you already knew about them or have heard them before, I am kinda jealous!
The band gathers inspiration from the biggest Symphonic Metal bands that their homeland is well known for: Within Temptation, The Gathering, Epica, Delain… But some songs, maybe the older ones, reminds me a bit of Symphony X, and that’s good because I fucking love Symphony X. Not the general sound and not the singing, of course, but there is something about the tempo, chord changes and the keyboard playing that definitely reminds me of one of the best Metal bands in existence (in my not-that-humble opinion).
Some of the songs were written many years ago by keyboardist George van Olffen, founder of the band, and some are so new that they were finished just a few weeks before hitting the studio, but there is one especially emotive song: ‘Free’, written by the vocalist Liesbeth Cordia, after the passing of her brother.
The album is full of emotion and plenty of changes in intensity and sonority, guiding you through a beautiful sonic landscape where every instrument is well played and sitting in its right place.
As a negative point, though, I have to say that the guitar tone is a bit lacking, considering how good everything sounds. It is not incorrect and I now for good that if the guitar is sounding like this, it is because they want it to sound like this, but about a decade ago (or maybe more, I am not that young anymore…) a guitar tone like this would be considered cheap or amateurish instead of professional. Nowadays even a cheap plug-in can give you amazing guitar tones. So I will say this is just a matter of taste, and they are going for a bit more late 90’s/early 2000’s style which, again, reminds me a bit of those early Symphony X records like “The Divine Wings of Tragedy” or “Twilight in Olympus” (again, please, take this as a HUGE compliment even if I think that this kind of guitar tone belong to the past). On the other hand, vocals, strings, keys, vocal harmonisations, and drums sound clear and beautiful, every note. I cannot comment on the bass because even using my expensive headphones I can barely hear it… It’s there, because it is thick and has some punch, but lacks a bit of presence.
Before saying goodbye, I would like to recommend you all to really listen to this band. Tracks like ‘Free’, ‘Hourglass’ or ‘Catch my Breath’ send a clear and loud message: we are here to stay.
Keep up the good work!!
Hasta la vista, Ever-Metallers!
‘Underneath’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Pain
02. Underneath
03. Free
04. Tell Me
05. Hourglass
06. Labyrinth
07. September
08. You
09. Catch my Breath
LINE-UP:
Vocals – Liesbeth Cordia
Keys – George van Olffen
Guitar – Martijn de Zeeuw
Bass – Tim Hoogervorst
Drums – Eva Levina
LINKS:
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