Elephants In Paradise-Wake Up

Edelstahl Records
2018

Elephants in Paradise is a four-piece heavy metal/rock band from Vienna, Austria that was formed in 2015 by veteran bassist Christoph Scheffel. The forthcoming "Wake Up" is the exciting full-length debut for this up-and-coming outfit that features two members of Jacobs Moor within it's ranks: guitarist Rupert Träxler and drummer Rainer Lidauer. Exceptional lead vocals come courtesy of Cara Cole and so far two singles have been released from this highly-recommended album, "Breaking Bad" and "Feeding A Lie". While these two numbers are remarkable in their own right, "Wake Up" has more in common with the grand long players of yesterday. Full of elegant and engaging numbers from an exceptionally talented and bright quartet, "Wake Up" is one of those rare modern day rock/metal albums that is better played in all it's entirety! It holds your attention from start to finish and that has everything to do with the performances of everyone involved. Lead Singer Cara Cole is a haunting presence on the microphone while her band-mates play with precision, power and passion. "Wake Up" is as much a heavy rock and roll release as it is a red hot melodic metal/power metal one. As far as debut albums go, "Wake Up" is a perfect example of how things should be done. Strong material and top-notch performances matter more than ever in a scene where heavy metal/rock bands are a dime a dozen. Based solely on the material of "Wake Up" the band Elephants in Paradise should experience lots of critical acclaim and plenty of fanfare. Unlike a lot of the terrible music that seems to be flooding modern rock radio these days, "Wake Up" is deserving of all the praise it gets!

(drama)-Zastor Tisine

Altsphere
2011

Hailing from Croatia (drama) formed in 2004. They recorded a demo in 2006 and then began focusing their writing skills even more. This album was actually recorded in 2010, but was just recently released. This is not in English, but that really doesn't matter because the music certainly does enough to relay the emotions they are trying to get across. The idea behind this album was influenced by five albums of nature situated in a wintry landscape. The album ranges from simple stripped down riffs to much more complex patterns. The start with a basic doom foundation and on layers of textures and different sounds to build the songs up. They excel at using melodies, heavy riffs and thick plodding passages too. (drama) are powerful song writers who realize the importance of subtlety. They have the playing skills to really control their songs and they do so in expert fashion. Their greatest strength to my ears is their ability to transition from one style to another without losing any power in their music. Some bands get caught up in pushing different styles in your face, but this band has a definite plan for each song and they stick to it all the while pulling you along and exposing your senses to all they have to offer. This is definitely an album that requires several spins to really get the most out of it, but it's certainly worth the effort.