GTGC Reviews
email: gavinals69@aol.com
  • Reviews
  • Live Music
  • THE SPANISH ANNOUNCE TABLE

Talvienkeli - "Hybris"

20/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Combien de groupes français pouvez-vous nommer? GOJIRA? DAFT PUNK? Exactement...but no, seriously, for a long time, Daft Punk have probably been France's biggest musical export, and while Gojira may very well be the darlings of heavy metal right now, especially on the live stage, unless you are already familiar with the French scene and have done your homework, then very few will name any established or notable artists, regardless of genre...but, having mentioned them already, Gojira's success has opened the doors for more French bands, giving us a glimpse into an untapped market of music. One band hoping to get noticed are TALVIENKELI (meaning Winters Angel, in Finnish, because of a collective love of Scandinavian culture)...formed in Lyon in 2012, this progressive, symphonic-metal outfit signed with WORMHOLE DEATH RECORDS (who, despite being based in Florence, have offices in Tokyo and Los Angeles too, so they are in good hands!) to release their up-coming brand new album; "Hybris"...Shall we check them out? Bon appetit as they say...

We open up with "Hybris Part II" and it's like stepping into a lullaby, a dreamscape...the simplistic tinkling of the piano and soft strings coupled with Camille Borrelly's delicate operatic vocals make for an almost icy, haunting introduction, appropriate given their name I suppose, before we're suddenly subject to a surging dose of symphonic almost orchestral metal...this whole thing; the way it's structured and delivered is VERY NIGHTWISH and it's apropos as they are one of the bands primary influences...imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as they say, right? At over seven minutes though, it's quite the introduction...

"Burning Flesh" follows up and it's got a much harder overall approach, with the initial power of the drumming, the guitars too having a more riff-heavy sound, the inclusion too of some spoken-word content adds a slightly dramatic feel to the track...the flurry of keyboards again pays homage to Tuomas Holopainen of NIghtwish, likewise with "Immortal", which is probably the meatiest track on offer, similarly too "Atlas" has more heavy elements, but, while it's perfectly fine to emulate your heroes, it also comes with it's downsides. For example, while she clearly has a decent range, Camille is no TARJA...and sometimes her notes sound erratic and to some extent, forced...there are moments on "Hybris Part I" where it's almost like she can't cope with the faster, heavier aspects of the  music, and given the length of the tracks, "Quill Of Dust" for example nearing the ten minute mark, you often find yourself simply waiting for a track to end, which, doesn't particularly instill any excitement or great expectation in the listener as the album progresses.

Musically though they are generally solid, they pull off the style well and do the genre no real injustice, as symphonic metal goes it's in no way poor, and as mentioned Camille does clearly have a voice on her, if she tightened up just slightly and maybe didn't over-do some of the high notes, and possibly sacrificed some song length for perhaps focusing on more of strong single or two to promote, they do show a lot of potential to establish themselves alongside the likes of the aforementioned Nightwish and LEAVES EYES...I guess all you could say for now is, it lacks a certain...je nais sais quoi. [5]

www.facebook.com/talvienkeliband
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    News & Reviews

    Gavin J Griffiths, a.k.a GavTheGothicChav, lover of new music and supporter of bands. Inspired by a mixture of horror and comedy, and fueled by a blend of alcohol and sarcasm...if you're a singer / in a band and would like a review written up, please do get in touch via the email address at the top of the page and I'll get back to you ASAP. Much love x

    Follow @GavinJGriffiths

      CHAV CHAT

    ASK GAV!

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Acoustic
    Alternative
    Article
    Black Metal
    Blues
    Book
    Classic
    Classic Rock
    Comedy
    Competition
    Compilation
    Country
    Death Metal
    Doom
    Electronic
    Emo
    EP
    France
    Funk
    Games
    Glam Rock
    Gothic
    Grime
    Grunge
    Hardcore
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Hip Hop
    Hip-Hop
    Indie
    Industrial
    Interview
    Jazz
    J-Rock
    Melodic Death
    Metal
    Metalcore
    Newport
    New Wave
    Nu Metal
    Nu-Metal
    Pop
    Pop Punk
    Pop-Punk
    Pop Rock
    Post Punk
    Post-Punk
    Prog
    Punk
    Punk Rock
    Rap
    Reggae
    Rock
    Rock 'N' Roll
    Shoegaze
    Ska
    Sludge
    Soft Rock
    Southern Metal
    Southern Rock
    Stoner
    Symphonic Metal
    Synth
    Thrash
    Unsigned
    Urban

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly