If you like musicals, epic tales of woe, and soaring vocals all set to the backdrop of metal music, 'Maestro' should be right up your alley. The compositions are very strong, and outdone only by the performances themselves. Every musician seems to be in top form on this recording, and I feel the end result is a much stronger one than more popularized acts in a similar vein from Fleshgod Apocalypse to Blind Guardian. Time for a night at with Satan's orchestra.
I get truly wrapped up in the feeling of the story, much like with A Forest of Stars or Dionysos.
In my mind, the first act is the heavier portion of the album. Worms of Souls really cranks up the death metal vocals while the guitars heap on the distortion. One of my other favorite tracks, They Came with Eyes of Fire is a bit more dramatic, and dynamic, but really takes my conductor pantomiming skills to new levels. This is probably my favorite quality of the album as a whole. I get truly wrapped up in the feeling of the story, much like with A Forest of Stars or Dionysos. I am never much for interviews, but I would be curious to pick these guys brains further about the concept.
'Maestro' is a bit of an undertaking at just over an hour, but Winterhorde are more than capable of making every minute count. Between the incredible musicianship and melodrama, the album gets downright epic. I am not quite clear on the details of the concept, but there is definitely an underlying story involving some sort of Satanic orchestra and the predictable trajedy that results. Antipath does an excellent job setting the stage with the catchy strings and powerful clean vocal melodies. It was here that I first noticed the kinetic drumming that does a lot to carry the energy of the album.
Between the incredible musicianship and melodrama, the album gets downright epic.
Winterhorde is an extremely talented symphonic and progressive metal band from Israel. Their new album, 'Maestro' is an impressive feat, and rightly so with some of the big names attached to it: guest appearances from Jirí Valter (Root) and Peter Huss (Shining), mastering by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Soilwork) and production and mixing by V.Santura (Obscura, Tryptikon, Dark Fortress). The band has been around for almost 20 years, and has shared the stage with Catamenia, Behemoth, and Melechesh to name a few. Without further ado, let the opera begin. Album drops May 20th (tomorrow).