The long and the short of it is this; if you liked the Tarja era Nightwish, you’ll like this material, if you’re looking for a darker presentation, this probably isn’t it. Niobeth is symphonic operatic gothic metal, complete with a choir and a range of instruments to support the vocals. Those instruments include a wide assortment of alternatives ranging from the traditional guitars and drums to keyboards, violins and bagpipes. The band hails, originally, from Albacete, Spain, not a locale I am familiar with. However, the CD was recorded in Valencia, Spain, a locale I am familiar with, being a proud graduate of the Universidad de Valencia. Unfortunately, for the life of me, I can’t recall music like this, nor can I recall a singer clad in tight gothic leather performing locally while I was matriculating. Of course, that could be a result of my spending most of my time working the bars in pursuit of enhancing my Spanish language capabilities and my most robust research into the most inebriating form of the local Sangria. In any case, I missed this music, much to my dismay.

Niobeth has been in existence since around 2004. They did a short EP and then did a lot of touring and performing, mostly in Spain. In 2008 they took time out to record the CD under review here. The lineup has changed over time and, at present; there are really only 4 permanent musicians. Those include Itea Benedicto, the soprano doing the female vocals, Jesus Diez, the other founding member who works the guitars and does the composition, Santi, who works a range of instruments including multiple keyboards, the violin and bagpipes and Alberto Trigueros who covers drums. There are other musicians who participate but this is the core. Of course, we would be remiss not to mention the Castilla-La Mancha: "El Orfeón de la Mancha", the professional choir that is a significant part of this production. And, in live performance, there are other performers including a wonderful Spanish dancer who serves to augment the music in a way that only a Spanish dancer can. Too bad you don’t get to see her, I did, I have that DVD I mentioned earlier.

The Shining Harmony of Universe is a symphonic, operatic gothic music lover’s dream, from the first note to the last. I’ve had it in the player for a couple weeks and haven’t taken it out. The CD kicks off with The Whispers of Rain, a strong gothic sound that features much of what Niobeth is about. The guitars crash; the symphonic soars, and the operatic vocals lead us to something beautiful. Itea doesn’t do much other than the opera style, and she has the voice to keep us interested. The music is drawn to that format, the choir fills in where Itea breaks and the rest of the music supports her efforts in a classical mix that is what we came to hear. Lyrically, Itea takes us in the direction reserved for the gothic:

You can pretty much take any song on this CD and appreciate it, write about it and expect your reader to appreciate it. However, there are some songs that stand out in a singular direction. Requiem for Imogen is certainly one of my favorites. The song begins with a stronger guitar selection than most, it almost sounds like a traditional guitar based metal offering. But, when Itea joins the fray, we know we are headed in another direction. Her vocals are those of the trained soprano and lead to a musical direction that is unique to this performing troop. The symphonic component joins in and drives the song forward. And, near the conclusion, we hear a bagpipe solo that takes the song to a perfect conclusion. This one song encompasses much of what I love in this genre, and does so in a way even Nightwish would appreciate.

Another title that always draws interest is the Mozart composition, The Magic Flute. This is difficult opera, not for the faint of heart. Itea has the voice to do it and the backup musicians do a commendable job of covering the support music. This song, for some reason, has become a staple of the symphonic, operatic gothic scene, there are several bands who do it and you can pretty much gauge their singers based on their ability to cover the material. We’ve all heard it, in one form or another, but that doesn’t make the performance any easier. Mozart wrote this song as a test for vocalists of his era, it is no less a test for vocalists of this era. And Itea passes that test with room to spare.

Niobeth can do the more traditional metal oriented sound too. Dance of Tragedy uses the guitars to move the song forward. But Itea takes the lead over the choral background and rides the guitars as the song progresses. The choral work is featured here, as are the keyboards, but the sound is metal, even given the strong choral support. Think Nightwish, with a chorus, and you get the idea.

The Awakening is an instrumental selection. It features all the instrumental capabilities of the band ranging from guitars to the violin. And that violin is exceptional. Flutes join the music at some point, as do other instruments. The choir also adds a component, this is classical music at it’s finest. A true tour de force from the Niobeth musicians.

A final comment is addressed to the final selection, one called a bonus selection on this CD. Kowasani Furuete is a Japanese title that speaks to the victims of the nuclear bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is song sung entirely in Japanese and is a highlight of the CD. The lyrics are also written in Japanese on the CD so exactly what is being said is a little difficult to understand. However, on that DVD I mentioned a little earlier, the song makes use of several lovely Japanese children to convey the message that these events in history were events of infinite sadness. And the music does it justice; this is a beautiful song, one that conveys the message in a universal language, one that we can all appreciate, both for the music and the message.

The Shining Harmony of Universe does what it intends to do. It is a full 70 minutes of symphonic, operatic gothic metal, with a female lead to rival any in the genre. It is the perfect union of metal and classical music; all the components are in place. And it’s enough to make me wonder if I spent too much time in the bars in Valencia and not enough time with that wonderful little Spanish redhead who told me I was missing a lot. Well, with age comes wisdom. And wisdom would suggest that the symphonic, operatic gothic genre doesn’t get much better than this.

10 / 10 ...a rare full ten point score.