Sense of Creation Album - CD Review
Forsaken Era

Genre: Symphonic/gothic metal
Language: English/Italian/Latin
Label: Self-produced
Tracks: 10
Total time: 46:00
Rating: 7 of 10

In 2009, accomplished musician (and former child prodigy) Lukasz Lowkis decided to spread his wings musically by looking for a singer to put a voice to his musical vision. He hit the figurative jackpot when he found Italian soprano Elisa Tomaselli, who not only has a stunning operatic voice, but also an impressive rock sensibility as well. Between his musical abilities and her lyrical compositions, this dynamic duo set off to make their own way in the music world; living up to their name, their album is self-produced and self-released, and the band manages themselves and takes care of other little details that most bands entrust to a manager or their entourage. For a band with such a work ethic, one has to wonder if the music will live up to such expectations. In July of 2013, listeners would get a chance to find out when their debut album, Forsaken Era, made its way to audiences.

Even though they are one of many bands who have taken on the symphonic/operatic style that’s so prominent in the femme-metal scene today (a scene that might sometimes seem to suffer from overcrowding), they do a damn fine job at it! Not only this, but they are succinct in their approach, proving you can sound epic without having to have a 10-minute opus (their longest song is slightly under the 6-minute mark). Their music has a very cinematic vibe, making the listener feel as if they’ve landed smack in the middle of Middle-Earth or wandered into a tale of old. This is apparent on songs like “Misery”, “Hidden by the Light”, and “Alathea” really showcase this; you can almost see the valiant knights with their swords drawn, or the lovely maidens waiting bereft in their lonely towers. The operatic vocals are delicate yet strong (I was instantly reminded of the long-defunct Brazilian band Venin Noir), and Elisa’s non-operatic vocals are quite melodic too (think a cross between Sharon den Adel and Anette Olzon). In fact, if you are one of those fans who like this style of music, but think that bands like Nightwish and WT are a bit too “over the top” for your tastes, then Sense of Creation might just be what you're looking for.

Speaking of which, this is also a perfect band for fans of “old-era” Nightwish or earlier Within Temptation. It’s full of the dramatic ambiance, the gloomy feel combined with bright melodies. They manage to pack a lot into their 3- or 4-minute songs; this is a strong debut, but I would like to see more experimenting with sounds next time around, and taking more risks. It seemed like they stayed in the “safe” mid-tempo range; there are not outwardly fast or heavy songs, but there are not really any slow songs or ballads to switch up the mood either. There are heavy moments and parts of songs where the mood winds down, but the general feel of the songs don’t stray much from mid-tempo; fast enough to be catchy, but slow enough to not venture too much into the “heavy metal” side of things. They’ve got something good going with the sound they have, but I didn’t feel there was much “pushing of the envelope”, so to speak. However, they do incorporate some unique attributes such as singing in Italian, Latin, and English; which is not exactly a commonplace thing on the scene as of yet (sure, there are bands that integrate some Latin here and there, but few have actually made it a point to include it in their overall lyrics!). This is a solid debut and they’re off to a great start, so it will be interesting to hear how their sound evolves.

Coming back to references to bands of the past, I would say that if you are one of those old Venin Noir or Pettalom fans like myself who felt that their time was far too short and that they left a void that has yet to be filled, I’d say Sense of Creation has the potential to take up that helm and really pick up where those bands left off. I’d even consider them a sort of “Tristania-lite”; all of the gothic and operatic elements of Tristania, but without the doom influence or overabundance of harsh guttural vocals. I hear a lot of similarities to those bands in their music, yet one could hardly call Sense of Creation a copy of any of them.

While they have not entirely harnessed the power aspect just yet, songs like “Doesn’t Matter” show that they have the ability to do it. There are moments where there is a biting heaviness or moments that hint at such, but its full potential has not yet been realized. That is not to say the music doesn’t have heavy moments, or that it’s flat; but they are a two-piece band, and perhaps they could benefit from a backing band for a much fuller sound. Their website advertises that they are looking for such a band to perform live shows, and I think this is a good start. As much respect as I have that they have done everything on their own thus far, it is not a weakness to “share the load”; nor does it take away from their talents to know when not to bite off more than you can chew. More bandmembers means a fuller sound and different perspectives, so I think they will definitely benefit more from this in the future.

I also like that the male growling is left at a minimum; so many of the bands these days feel there must be a growler for growling’s sake, and have to punctuate every verse with a growly vocal. I appreciate that Sense of Creation knows when to use their growler, and it doesn't have to be on every song, every time! There's a lot to be said for knowing when to utilize certain qualities. However, when listening to this, it's hard to believe that there are only two people in this band! So if anyone understands the importance of musical economy, it would be a two-piece band! Yet their small group numbers does not take away from their impressively full sound. I really enjoy what this band is bringing to the table so far; but with a few minor adjustments here and there, you might just have the next symphonic metal superstars on your hands.

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