The Edge of Paradise - Immortal Waltz
The Edge of Paradise – CD Review
Immortal Waltz
CD Info
2015
Pure Rock Records
8 Tracks
English Lyrics
9.5/10
I had not planned to review this album, but when I heard it, I immediately volunteered. Its melody, energy, and urgency instantly hooked me. My fandom actually started with the first single, “In a Dream,” when I heard it on YouTube, as you can here. This song really captures the essence of the band, from Dave Bates’ impressive guitar to Margarita Monet’s powerful voice, which ranges from delicate to urgent. There’s beauty, but also passion and darkness, all mixed together in an intoxicating swirl. The intensity of the delivery also matches the lyrics: “In a dream i don't feel regret. In a dream I could run forever. In a dream no one dies. In a dream there are no goodbyes.” The band apparently agrees about the significance of this song, as Margarita recently told Sonic Cathedral in an interview: “We were still searching for the sound, and then ‘In a Dream’ kind of happened. It was one of those songs that wrote itself. From there, all the other songs came easier for us, and we knew the direction we wanted to go.”
Happily, the other songs live up. The whole album is outstanding. It opens with “Perfect Shades of Black,” a high-energy ode to darkness (think Dio, with a dash of Led Zeppelin). Next come two songs that evoke a twisted circus or carnival, “It’s My Show” and the title track “Immortal Waltz.” Actually, “It’s My Show” is about how the hunted can become the hunter. As Margarita told Sonic Cathedral: “You meet a lot of people in LA and all over the world who kind of prey on you, and think they can manipulate you in ways. What they don’t see is that you’re actually playing them.” Hello Peter Baelish. Meanwhile, “Immortal Waltz” is indeed a 1-2-3 waltz, about mortality and immortality: “Time melts all flesh, but bows before our lasting fate. Can't steal our memories, cast into eternity.”
Next up is “In a Dream,” followed by the album’s second video single, “Rise for the Fallen,” an anthemic call to arms: “Rise for those in the other side. Breath in their cries. Stand up for your life. Let's rise up and fight.” After that comes, “Ghost,” a power ballad about regret, followed by “Break Away,” which opens with more of Dave Bates’ impressive riffing before turning to a powerful driving rhythm delivered by bassist Nick Ericson and drummer John Chominsky, overlaid with Margarita’s urgent and plaintiff vocals. Great stuff. The album then closes with the melancholic “Goodbye,” about having to say farewell before you are ready. This is fitting for the album as a whole. It leaves you wanting more, which is what I prefer to today’s overlong albums.
If you buy the CD version of the album, you actually get one more song, a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Sea.” From the YouTube preview, this remake rocks, and I really want it. Since I got the album on iTunes, hopefully I can buy a CD at a show and get it signed.
Bottom line, I’m now a big fan of The Edge of Paradise! The musicianship is top notch. Margarita has been playing classical piano to great success since she was 4, and it shows, as does her theatrical background (she was a theater major with a music minor at NYU). Meanwhile, Dave nails both technique and emotion with his guitar, and Nick and John deliver a variety of cool rhythms. (Incidentally, I see on their website that Nick was raised in a swamp by boars and that John is available to date Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett, if you read this, you can contact him at the links below. And yes, Margarita has red hair to die for. Is there a subgenre of metal for redheads?)
Anyway, LA’s The Edge of Paradise is a fantastic embodiment of intense melodic metal with piercing vocals, like their inspirations Dio, Guns & Roses, and Led Zeppelin. Fans of those bands, as well as other aggressive, melodic FFM bands like Sister Sin and Devilskin, will love this album. Overall rating 9.5 out 10. You can find out more from the band’s Facebook and website.
