Envinya - Inner Silence
CD Info
2013
Massacre Records / Germany
10 Tracks
English Lyrics
It's easy to get jaded when you're constantly listening to new stuff for the purpose of reviewing it. Some days the promos come fast and furious and not only is it hard to keep up, but it's hard to remain discerning and objective. But once in a while something comes out of left field and literally knocks your socks off.
Such is the case with Germany's Envinya, who come from the Bavarian part of that country, a place I normally associate with delicious baking (hey, I am a trained baker, after all). But now there is something equally delicious for the ears coming from there, and it's this female fronted sextet. Inner Silence is the name of their new album, and despite the nice, calm-sounding name, this CD is a force to be reckoned with. Previously, they released an EP entitled Beyond the Dark, but this is their debut full length offering.
The first track sets the stage for the whole album. "Faceless" is a headbanger's delight: it's fast as hell, and pounds out of the gate like it's being chased by the devil. It also has the element of being quite anthemic-sounding, which always scores points with me. I love anthemic tunes. Here is a sampling of the lyrics:
We don't need this anymore
The balance of power is your last hour
Acid rain is falling - mutation all around
And the tears of war create a horrible sound
This song also introduces us to Envinya's wicked lead singer, Natalie Pereira Dos Santos, who is one hell of a belter. She has an extremely powerful voice, and she also does the odd bit of growly stuff, too. I was pretty blown away by her voice; it just helps knock the music out of the park because it's such a big voice.
Alas, I must say here that Natalie has left Envinya, and her slot as lead vocalist remains unfilled, at least according to the band's Facebook page. Those are going to be some big shoes to fill, that's for sure.
The second track, the single "Forlorn", for which there is a video, has a similar aggressive attack right from the get-go, and again, with driving riffs and another anthemic chorus:
You can choose between fire and light
Creep in the mire or reach delight
Control your desire and stop the fight
No guns for hire an leave the night
There is also a pretty epic guitar solo in here, performed by lead guitarist Markus Herz.
Every song on this album is strong, but some of my other favourites were "Satin and Silk" ( a perfect body sleeps like satin and silk/fragrance of spring, the colour of milk) because it has as Gothic-y flare to it with a great keyboard melody. I also really liked "Too Late", again because it's a strong, energetic song, but also because it features quite the epic duel between guitarist Herz and keyboardist Monika Strobl, who really has a fantastic performance throughout this album. In this song in particular, you can tell she's just givin' 'er.
Which speaks to the bands statement about their sound on their Facebook page that says its "attests to different influences and characters of every single band mate." I can really hear this all through the CD, and that makes this a band to watch out for in the future.
With blazing energy and heaps of talent, Envinya could be a force to be reckoned with on the German melodic metal scene - or on the German scene, or the metal scene in general. All of the elements are there and this is one release that can definitely put this band on the metal map.
9 / 10
