CD Info
2011
Massacre Records / Germany
10 Tracks
English Lyrics

I love all-female bands. There’s something very empowering about watching women pound out tunes on instruments normally dominated by men: guitars, bass, drums. I also have a perception that all-female bands bring a different energy to their music than a mostly male band. I don’t exactly know where that perception comes from, but bands that are either all women or mostly women, in my mind at least, create a different musical experience that I can’t easily identify. Perhaps that’s just in my head, perhaps not.

In the genre of metal, there aren’t tons of all-female or female-dominated bands, though of course there is no paucity of female-fronted bands. Frankfurt’s Arven is a sextet that includes one guy, drummer Till Felden. All other instruments are played by women, including both a lead guitar and a rhythm guitar. Vocals are taken care of by the classically trained Carina Hasselmann, and guitarist Anastasia Schmidt is the main songwriter. Their first full-length album, released September 30th, is called Music of Light, and I think it’s strength, maturity, and creativity spells out a bright future for this young band.

In 2008, Arven released a demo album and then embarked upon a series of live gigs and festival appearances, which in led to their eventual inking of a deal with Massacre Records. The 10-track Music of Light combines Carina’s classical vocals with fast, melodic, heavy metal elements and classical instruments such as violin, flute, cello, and choir arrangements. The result is an energetic mixture of melodic metal that often reminds the listener of medieval/Renaissance metallers Haggard and at times a slightly heavier version of Blackmore’s Night.

The title and opening track, "Music of Light" starts out with a zippy violin melody reminiscent of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, and then morphs into a bouncy, folky tune with crisp guitar work, a hooky chorus with some lovely choral harmonies, and a rollicking middle that makes heads bang. It’s an impressive start to what goes on to be an impressive album.

The third song, "Raise Your Cups" begins with a flute intro, and it’s lyrics and chorus are what brings to mind Blackmore’s Night for me. Set at a king’s feast complete with bards, the refrain goes

Brothers and sisters
Raise your cups
High in the air
Fill them again and drink it up
Celebrate!

Lyrically, these songs are excellent: poetic without being sappy or over-embellished, and poignant without being EMO. They are simple, expressive, and real. The ballad "My Dear Friend" is a great example, accompanied by an atmospheric piano performance by Lena Yatsula :

I cannot fill the space you left
It won't be the same
No matter where I go and what I see
This silence remains

Forgive me if I did something wrong
Cause I've never meant to hurt you
So fast the years passed us by
There's never enough time to say goodbye

Clocking in at over seven minutes, this is one of the most passionate, emotional songs on the album, and it showcases Carina’s ability to tug at the listener’s heartstrings with her performance in it.

Thematically, the songs vary from folk-inspired tales to love lost, as in "My Dear Friend" to the "oh woe is the world" type stuff often found in Gothic metal.

As a package, Arven has it going on: a great lead vocalist with strong pipes, strong songwriting with tight lyrics, more than competent guitar-work, great arrangements, and tunes with memorable hooks. Other highlights on the album include the fast and fantasy-themed "Midwinter Nights" and the riffy, guitar-driven "Ruined Castle."

During my multiple listenings of Music of Light, I again sensed that great energy I get when listening to female bands – or almost all-female bands. I think it’s that sense of girl power and "you go girl!" that comes to the forefront when I know the band is predominantly women. I think that adds extra depth to my experience of such bands and their music. I would love to see Arven perform live one day to see how the energy of this album translates into a live performance.

My rating: 8 / 10

You can find Arven at any of these fine locations:

Official Website
Facebook
MySpace
LastFM

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