Not many bands can get away with dual female vocalists now a days. The band Illuminata however, does an incredible job with having Joanna and Katarzyna delivering beautiful vocals throughout each and every song. The bands has just released their new album, entitled “A World So Cold.” It leans towards the symphonic gothic sound as you are surrounded by overwhelming strings and flutes along with heavily distorted guitars and exploding drums.
Right away you’re hit with powerful symphonic introduction called “Ashes Of Times.” It sounds like part of a Lord Of The Rings score with all of its orchestral instruments and epic melodies. As it fades out you are then met with “Cold Hands Warm Hearts.” This song really packs a punch as it starts with quick piano riffs that run into fast double bass pedal drumming and monstrous chugging guitars. This will definitely have you bobbing your head immediately. You’re then hypnotized by the angelic female vocals of lead singer Joanna. She shows off her excellent reach in pitch with her passionate performance. Soothing orchestral strings take over as they add suspense to the chorus. The refrain consists of catchy lyrics and heavy guitar riffs in the background. Also be prepared for the booming drum fills. Later in this six minute masterpiece, you will come across an epic flute part that will send chills down your spine. What an amazing way to open up this album.
Songs like “Silent Poet” and “The World Collector” start out with catchy piano melodies and are accompanied by warm strings that lift you. The Vocals are laid gently on top during the verses and really light up the music. The tempos are slow with light drumming while you are mainly guided by the piano keys. Distorted guitar take over some of the refrains as detail drum fills start to pick up. They even include a magnificent piano solo in “The World Collecter” which is followed by guitar solo that plays similar melodies. This will have you hitting the repeat button immediately. “A Frame Of Beauty” starts out with sad melodic piano riffs that are shaken up by complex drum rolls that will completely knock you on your ass. Definitely pay close attention to the drums throughout this entire track because the drum fills are absolutely insane.
“Endless” uses a lot of beautiful strings that really consume you as you are hit by heavy guitar riffs and crashing cymbals throughout most of the song. They even include an interesting mix of orchestral instruments in the bridge towards the end. You’ll definitely have to listen to this one a few times to catch everything. As far as the vocals go, hearing both vocalists sing above one another sounds absolutely stunning. They really harmonize together perfectly.
The album comes to an end with “Metamorphobia II” which starts with slow moving strings and soft vocals that are covered in reverb. As the song moves along, you are met with a lot of different instruments. This includes epic horns, whispering flutes and strong violins. They all start to come together towards the end of the song and sounds a lot like the introduction only with vocals as well. Then comes blaring guitar riffs that blast through your speakers with massive distortion. This is accompanied by booming drum rolls and run smoothly into each riff. Eventually you’ll find that the album has replayed itself several times and you won’t even notice that it ever ended.
Illuminata has definitely displayed some impressive performances on “A World So Cold.” Being such a young band and sounding as good as this will really grab your attention. They’ve clearly got a lot of talent and great potential to make it in the metal world. Don’t miss out on this album. You will regret it if you do!
9/10
Official Site - http://www.illuminata.at/
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/illuminataband
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