The band 'Fallen Arise' returns to the front of the symphonic metal scene with a new album 'Enigma', after 5 long years of absence because their last studio recording 'Adeline' already dates from 2015. It must be said that the Greeks had, to say the least, some line-up changes and, apart from 'Gus Dibelas' which is at the origin of this training in 2009 , the rest of the group has totally changed and a new singer 'Fiona Creaby' (also member of ’Blood Red Soul’ with two albums released 'Symphony of a Memory' in 2017 and 'River of Melancholia' in 2019) arrived in 2016 as well as a new singer 'Vlasis Katsaounis' on extreme vocals, 'Spyros Vasilakis' now playing on guitar, 'Jason Ioakeim' on bass and 'Marios Karavasilis' on drums.
With this renewed line up, a the first listening, you have the feeling that a certain stability has finally been found and, even if the style has not changed and remains some melodic symphonic metal with fairly classic verses/choruses, we feel that a certain maturity has taken hold and this new album is like what we should expect from more famous bands like 'Xandria' (see their last album here) or 'Leaves' Eyes' (see their latest album here) to name just two that the Grecs have accompanied on their tours. After a grandiose introduction full of choruses as 'Epica' can do, 'Enigma' and 'Reborn' are two energetic and catchy tracks with fairly similar choruses that immediately get stuck in the head and we discover the clear and limpid singing of 'Fiona Creaby' who alternates with the interventions of growls of 'Vlasis Katsaounis' and this opposition works remarkably, then, 'Forsaken', calmer, recalls certain compositions of 'Within Temptation' especially since Fiona can recall the intonations of 'Sharon Den Adel'. The following continues to offer us unstoppable melodies whether with powerfull titles as in 'Embers' or in 'The Storm Inside' with a greater use of growls or in the energetic 'Released' with melodic lines still reminiscent of 'Within Temptation' first period, simple but very effective, or in quieter tracks and the second part of the album contains three with the mid-tempo 'Without Disguise' alternating slow verses with a more powerful chorus, the other mid- tempo 'Forever Winter' and the magnificent ballad 'Horizon' in which 'Fiona Creaby' shows real emotion and recalls the cover of 'Nightwish', 'Walking on the Air' interpreted by 'Tarja'.
In summary, the Greeks of 'Fallen Arise' confirm all the good that we thought of them with their previous album 'Adeline' and, even if the whole is quite similar to what a group like 'Within Temptation' have done in the early 2000s, 'Enigma' should appeal to fans of this style and will allow those who do not know this style to discover it because all the compositions are accessible at first listening... | |
