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By JEFF MAKI
There's a new metal queen in town and her name is Francine Boucher, lead vocalist for Echoes of Eternity. No doubt the centerpiece and soon to be main-draw of this band, Boucher's ethereal vocals are in the same league as Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil or Liv Kristine of Leaves Eyes. The Forgotten Goddess features beautiful melodies galore, backed by a start-stop machine gun double bass attack and a classic metal guitar sound.
So what makes this any different from the numerous other female-fronted metal bands? Founding guitarist Brandon S. Patton and drummer Kirk Carrison played together in death metal bands for the last decade, which shows in the aggressiveness of this recording. There is also a progressive edge and the band isn't afraid to up the tempo, regardless of the female lead.
The blond bombshell's angelic chords are goddess-like on the first single and video “Voices in a Dream,” a song that the band has had available on its MySpace page for quite some time. The song falls somewhere between Leaves Eyes and Nightwish with its progressive nature and operatic chorus, one that's sure to leave a lasting impression. “Towers of Silence” is classic metal, with a drudging riff that backs the goth-metal structure as it leads into a death metal charge. The title track is a dynamic masterpiece, multi-layered with Boucher's strongest vocal performance of the album. Amazing. Violins open the gothic-power ballad “The Kingdom Within,” another outstanding piece, bringing to mind early Lacuna Coil. The song’s somber tone transforms midway through with death metal riffs, beautiful acoustic work and a triumphant guitar solo. “Circles in Stone,” a mournful ballad, is about as goth as it gets here.
The only problems with this magnificent debut lie in the production, which seems to hold the album back slightly. At times, Boucher's vocals are a touch loud in the mix, and there's just not that crisp sound throughout the entire disc. For a debut album, though, these are minor complaints that are not problematic for the end result.
Echoes of Eternity has the makings for a highly successful band. Francine Boucher has the pipes and look that a band like this needs. That being said, by no means is this solely Nuclear Blast's attempt to cash in on the female metal trend. Echoes of Eternity meshes multiple styles of metal and keep it slightly heavier than one would expect. Sure, there are tendencies of the genre ever-present here, mainly in the typical lyrics, cover artwork and mournful tone of the album, but nothing is overdone or pushed on the listener. Given enough exposure and promotion, The Forgotten Goddess should find the band a high level of success based on the quality of the album alone. Also, I don't think any man would mind hearing Boucher's lovely voice in a dream. |
