The Bulgarian singer 'Ani Lozanova' and the drummer 'Konstantin Dinev' started their musical adventure in 2002 with the 'Ani Lozanova Band' and, after the release of two albums in Bulgarian (the last of the singer's name dating from 2009 - see here), the two artists decided that it was time to turn to the international and it is the meeting with the metal singer 'Ian Parry' (see his last album with 'Crystal Tears' here) which allowed this radical change with the key a first album 'Miracle' in 2011 under the name of 'Ani Lo Projekt' in a style mixing hard-rock and symphonic metal. And it was only almost 8 years later that 'A Time Called Forever' was born with the participation of the multi-instrumentalist 'Jens Faber' ( 'Dawn of Destiny' ) who composed all the tracks on the album.
With this opus, we stay in the world of metal, mixing power, symphonic and melodic influences but, it is clear that the compositions were cut for the Bulgarian singer who stands out, unlike the vast majority of singers of this style, with a wide register ranging from a powerful bass to treble always well mastered and which gives this formation its own identity. The majority of the compositions have very accessible melodic lines and this from the first titles' Break My Chains' and 'A Time Called Forever', powerful and energetic in which 'Ani Lozanova' shows from the first notes her remarkable vocal talent, then 'Bleed' offers us an epic and melodic composition with a refrain that immediately sticks in the head and 'End up in Sorrow' is a mid-tempo which shows another facet of the singer with a rhythm close to certain compositions of 'Therion'. The following alternates different styles which makes this opus rich and varied : first of all, energy and power are there with titles like 'The Letter', 'My Misery' or 'Don't Leave' and their sustained rhythms and when the cadence wants to be more peaceful while keeping a certain intensity, titles like 'Cold Death' or 'Feel Inside' show another face with beautiful alternations between powerful parts and others quieter. But there is a register in which this formation also excels, it is the quieter compositions with the magnificent ballads 'Back to You' and 'Fly With Me' in which the duo 'Ani Lozanova'/'Michael Thionville' works wonderfully , and it is with the ballad 'Walk Alone' to be added in the best power ballads that the album ends on a note of emotion.
In summary, 'Ani Lo Projekt' returns to the forefront of the metal scene with a dense album filled with quality compositions that should appeal to a large enough audience of metal loving the symphonic, power or melodic atmospheres of this style, hoping that 'Ani Lozanova' and 'Konstantin Dinev' won't not make us wait too long for the next album and will continue, why not, to work with 'Jens Faber' who really did a remarkable job on this album... | |
