I'm taking you to the land of kangaroos with the group ‘Victoria K’, named after the singer who created this project in 2016 and who has just released her first album ‘Essentia’. This new combo is still added to the already long list of symphonic metal releases of March and April 2020 (see last chronicles in this style with 'Ad Infinitum', 'Fourth Circle', 'Ani Lo Projekt', 'Imperial Age', 'Fallen Arise', 'MoonSun' and of course the last 'Nightwish'). No surprise, 'Victoria K' is part of a classical symphonic metal and a good number of existing formations come to mind at first listen, but we can still emphasize, because it is not very common in this style (except for projects mounted from scratch like 'Exit Eden'), that the female gender prevails over the male gender for one voice, since, with 'Victoria K .' on the main vocals, 'Sheri Vengeance' on the extreme vocals and 'Julia Mammone' on the electric guitar these are in total 3 female artists for 2 male artists with 'Marty Kawaler' on bass and 'James Davies' on drums.
The album is relatively short (36 minutes) and has 10 titles between 3 and 4 minutes which suggests that we will go the heart of the matter and that's what we discover the first time we listen. It is with a powerful 'Freedom Unchanted' that 'Victoria K' opens the debates with a first mid-tempo title whose melodic lines are easily embedded in the head and which sees 'Sheri Vengeance' accompany with growls the powerful voice of 'Victoria K' and this association is also present on two other titles, 'Forsaken' and 'Matrix', which are not to be outdone on the melodic level. In the same powerful and energetic style, we can cite 'Surreal' with its oriental influences on the end of the title, 'Mist Filled Sky' with an impetuous rhythm section or even 'Lacuna' which was the subject of a single already a year ago and which reminds me of 'Stream of Passion', Dutch formation which unfortunately stopped in 2016, but we can also mention 'The Haunting' for its alternations between parts removed and others quieter and whose melodic lines bring us back to 'Within Temptation' especially that in the treble less supported, 'Victoria K' is more languorous, like can do 'Sharon del Adel'. And when the electric instruments are less vigorous, ‘Victoria K’ offers us beautiful power ballads with ‘Shroud of Solitude’ and ‘Humanity’, showing a soft side with remarkable interpretations.
In summary, we can only salute this new formation which already appears very mature for a first album, thanks to beautiful melodies, a singer with impeccable vocal technique and a remarkable production which destines 'Essentia' to all fans of symphonic metal and if affinities, why not to a wider audience because the whole is relatively accessible... | |
