CD Info
2011
Massacre Records / Germany
13 Tracks
English Lyrics

Metal of any kind has a tendency to feature some of the more interesting human character traits you’re likely to run into. And, I don’t just mean the Marilyn Manson’s of the world. Female Fronted Metal is no exception, although those character traits tend to be somewhat more intellectually oriented and musically sophisticated than much of the rest of metal. Helena Iren Michaelsen certainly meets these criteria, and she’s also a gifted musician, both as a singer and as a song writer. But, she has something else you don’t often get in Gothic Metal, sex appeal. Now that’s not to say there aren’t some beautiful women in Female Metal, there are plenty of them. But few of them use that attribute like Helena does, and you won’t hear any complaints from this poor scribe. I mean, if I was 220 lbs, ran a 4.1 40 and could knock people down with abandon, I’d be a running back in the NFL in a heartbeat. So, the fact that Helena uses her natural attributes, all of them, is quite all right with me. But, for Helena, her most marketable attribute is a voice that covers more territory than the Atlantic Ocean. And she uses it all in this, the band’s 3d major release and the first in 4 years.

Helena, of course, began life as an operatic vocal with Trail of Tears. She then spent a short period of time with Sahara Dust, the precursor to Epica before settling in with Imperia and another project, Angel which released one CD. Imperia has retained its original form pretty much, and it’s an international form, assuming you consider Northern Europe to be a bunch of separate countries which, technically, it is. But, that’s rather like calling New England a bunch of separate countries these days. The makeup for this effort again focuses on Helena, a Norwegian of course, Jan Yrlund from Finland who does the sterling guitar work, writes songs and does some amazing art work on the package, Belgian bassist Gerry Verstreken and German drummer Steve Wolz. There are some additional artists contributing, the principle one being Oliver Phillips from Everon who works with piano and orchestrations and does a splendid job with vocals on a lovely ballad at the end of the CD aimed at Helena’s young daughter. Some additional cello parts are delivered by Tina Guo. All are superb musicians and the resulting effort is a typically outstanding Imperia product.

In the interest of time, it should be noted that SC’s Robin Stryker recently published a rather in depth interview with Helena, much to the consternation of the male writers here at the Zine who would love to have been assigned that task. So, we’ll move beyond the personal information and get right to a discussion of the music, which is every bit as interesting as the musicians who delivered it. Unfortunately, of course, the interview has far better pictures than this review, but one works with what one has to work with.

It should be noted up front that the typical Imperia production tends to cover a variety of styles and this production is no exception. And that variance is not limited to styles across individual titles, and can be applied to individual sections of individual songs. It’s one of the strengths of the music and Helena has few peers when it comes to alternative vocal styles. The pure operatic soprano is, of course, what she has been noted for throughout her career and she can do opera as well as anyone. But, she seems to have toned it down a little with this effort, not too much, just a little. Other styles range from a dark, dusky vocal to a passionate, melodic sound to what one reviewer called her "wicked witch" sound. And this "wicked witch" is used on one of the more interesting tracks on the CD, Suicide, a song that takes a dark ride on that wicked witch vocal. Helena’s music has been known for its personal reflection, she sings about her life, so this title takes on some interesting interpretation. It begins with bagpipes which catches my interest immediately. Then we get to the metal, and then to the witch. The lyrics reflect the angst, the horror and the pain:

Helena doesn’t stay in one style long on this selection. We get the sultry, the full opera and the desperate, all in one song. There’s outstanding background to fill in throughout all parts of the song, guitars, symphonics, drums. . . and each plays a part in delivering a song that reflects an emotion based statement with an intensity rarely encountered in any art form.

The tone changes dramatically on the following selection Hold On. We get a ballad, one that seems to answer the desperation of the previous selection with a positive statement that suggests healing, enlightenment and hope. Helena sings:

This ballad structure is a staple of Imperia music, and she seems to aim several of the songs over the past several CDs at her young daughter who she clearly cherishes beyond all others. On this production, the title is My Sleeping Angel, a duet done with the previously mentioned Oliver Phillips over a limited piano accompaniment. For any of us who are parents, this one will draw a smile, those days when all was possible, when the beauty of youth was in full view. We all cherish this time and think back on it fondly. Especially on that day when you receive a communication from your child saying, "Hey, my Marine company has been reassigned from Afghanistan to the combat Surge in Iraq, gonna be dicy. And, oh, that kid in my command you talked football with on our last leave, he won’t be coming home". Cherish the good times. Remember when all things were good and possible.

For many, the rockers on the CD will be viewed most positively. Touch of Your Hand, Secret Passion and Fragile, remind us that Imperia is a metal band, one that can rock. And Helena is no stranger to this format; she can crank out metal as well as anyone in the genre, in both opera and traditional formats. Violence is another one of these, a song with some Eastern influences, maybe even some Greek sounds. It has the symphonics we all love and, again, Helena produces additional sounds that make this a music that you just can’t approximate with other artists. The message too takes us to dark places, again, one wonders where in the personal this has originated, and we tremble at the interpretations:

Imperia has produced another first rate Gothic production. We get it all, first rate songs, outstanding musicianship, and some of the best vocals from one of the hottest women on earth. Now if I could just get the next interview.

9.5 / 10

• Prev
• Next