According to historical documentation, Markize formed in 2003 as a result of collaboration between Dunaevskaya and David Verbecq. Dunaevskaya says the motivation was to take revenge on her "grievous past", which certainly leads to some interesting speculation. After some starting and sputtering, the remainder of the band came aboard, leading to the final lineup of Dunaevskaya, Verbecq (drums), Franck Chentrier et Nicolas Thomas (guitars) and finally Gautier Blondeel (bass guitar). Their first major production is the CD being reviewed here.

Regarding the language thing, Dunaevskaya is quick to point out "Le choix se fait de lui même instinctivement en général. Selon le sujet que je veux aborder et la mélodie qui se met en place la langue me vient naturellement." I have to agree. By the way, her English is nearly flawless, her French is much better than mine, and her Russian, well, I have to assume it’s OK. And, in case you follow the lyrics, Russian looks like this:

Привет, Алина! Хочу пожелать тебе отличного вечера! И творческих успехов!!! В Москву не планируете с концертом?

We’ll stick to French and English.

Markize has a sound that may be easy for Americans to adjust to. The sound has a lot of similarity to the American group Evanescence. In fact, Dunaevskaya sounds quite similar to Amy Lee on a number of cuts, ah, at least the ones in English. The backing music, however, is superior as is much of the composition. And, frankly, French can be a mesmerizing language when done by a vocalist with the delivery of a Dunaevskaya. Even the Russian sounds good. The sound also includes some strong orchestration; we have to assume that comes from Dunaevskaya as well since she is listed as the keyboard player. It tends to flow from one musical style to another, softer ballads to more traditional metal, most of it of a somewhat lighter variety although there are some fine crashing guitar cuts for those of us who live for that sound. And, those guitar players are good, both as fill musicians and as featured soloists. The drumming is somewhat less pronounced than in some offerings in this category, but still strong. And, when keyboards are used, as in the Russian title, they mesh flawlessly with other instruments to provide an interesting interpretation to the music.

Markize presents some interesting lyrics as well, at least, those that I can figure out, my Russian being weak and not including much that is acceptable on a public site like this. On the second cut, Another Breath, Dunaevskaya sings:

It’s time to leave the rain,

I am falling, I cross the time,

With my pain,

It’s time to leave the rain, I am lost,

In my head, another breath

The song is a fine synthesis to the CD, bringing with it a strong metal composition that leads to the tight female vocals that drive the song. . . and the entire CD. And the Amy Lee similarities are immediately apparent . . . and there’s nothing wrong with that.

There are a number of songs that stand out, and they get airtime on the Sonic Cathedral radio outlet. No More Life is one of the more “metal” oriented, gothic sounds on the CD. The music is louder, the vocals harder, the background more lush. And Dunaevskaya sings:

Some people envy my perfection scented of the death,

I feed their soul laughing on them my only joke,

I am like a toy thrown in a world which is not mine,

Feeling like a corpse no more alive, but still not dead

It’s a highlight of the CD, and presents some of the best guitar work the band has to offer, but there are others.

Pardonne-moi, one of the French numbers, obviously, is another. It uses everything in the Markize arsenal. This includes strong guitar work, lush backgrounds, both vocal and instrumental, and a haunting lead vocal by Dunaevskaya. She sings:

Mais elle pourrissait pourtant sournoisement dans mon coeur,

Pour se réveiller aujourd'hui quand l'enfant a grandi,

Et pour me hanter, me torturer encore, encore la nuit

Suis-je une étrangère pour toi ?

Qu'est ce qui ne va pas en moi ?

Aime-moi !

or in English....

I have lived long into unconsciousness of pain,

But it however rotted cunningly in my heart, 

To wake up today when the child grew,

And to haunt me, torturing me again, even at night

Am I an alien for you

What's wrong with me

Love me!

Some things just sound better in French. In fact, when asked to identify the influences that drive the Markize sound, Dunaevskaya responded, "Elles sont très éclectiques, autant que les gouts très différents de chacun des membres du groupe, allant de la pop/rock, en passant par le metal, le hard rock, le prog, le gothique, le classique et le trip hop."

You don’t need to be fluent in French to get that one. And, the answer is perfect, as each of those influences is to be found in Transparence. Now get those language translation dictionaries out. . . and listen to some fine Female fronted metal.

9 / 10