The solo material is good, especially the lyrics, but they are a little tamer than the metal. Actually, that’s like saying the New Orleans Saints are a little tougher than a midget’s football team. I love her solo material, but I listen to the metal, I listen a lot. There are a lot of good bands coming out of Italy and this is one of them. And very few of them have a vocalist like Barbara Rubin. The rest of the band is also solid, no weak links here, there are solid guitars coming from axe men Francesco Salvadeo and Giordano CHUZ Mattiuzzo with Claudio Cavalli on drums and an outstanding keyboard presented by Lorenzo Marcenaro. The sound is truly gothic metal, both in sound and in lyric. In fact, other than a particular Russian sound and a Chilean band I reviewed recently, I can’t think of much I like more than this. They’re that good.

I don’t have much information regarding Loreweaver to impart to you beyond what is listed on their Myspace, and that tends to look like this: Il progetto musicale LoreWeaveR prende il via nel 2008, quando la cantante Barbara Rubin si unisce al nucleo già formato precedentemente con lo stesso nome da Francesco Salvadeo (chitarre), Giordano Mattiuzzo (basso) e Lorenzo Marcenaro (tastiere), già compagni di band negli anni passati. You got that? But the music, well, that’s a different thing entirely. It’s solid metal, all the goodies you expect, all the wonder you deserve. You get everything you came for and a little more. Barbara is no Tarja on this production, although I suspect she could do it in a pinch. Her vocals are superb; they take you to a place in metal land where the wolves howl, where the metal saps the soul. This is solid metal from a seriously strong female vocalist, one who can go in multiple directions and keep the interest up for a long time. She does the hard stuff, she does the ballad, she takes us to all places in between and she does it with flare. Oh, and she writes a really sweet e-mail.

It’s difficult to begin reviewing this material for me. The music is where most people will want an evaluation, but with me the lyrics are just as important. And, with this release, both are equally as impressive, and I don’t say that often. Barbara’s style here is different than in her solo release, it’s very rock oriented. You get an occasional ballad of sorts, not to the extent that it is produced on her single, but very nice indeed. But, it’s the hard stuff that takes hold of you and won’t let go. And the style goes to the look as well. In her solo material, Barbara is a sexy brunette, demure in a white flowing gown. On the Loreweaver title, she’s a wild looking rocker, with wild hair, screaming into the microphone. And the look is consistent with the music, which is all right with me.

Loreweaver begins with a bang with Bogus. There are the keyboard symphonics that introduce the sound which lead to the metal. Loreweaver mixes a lot of different styles into their music, even into individual titles. And that tendency begins with this first selection. The keys go from symphonic to industrial to distorted pop. But when Barbara kicks in we get to the heart of the message. It’s solid metal. In fact, the sound has a bit of Dream Theatre to it, but with the female lead. Barbara’s English pronunciation is nearly flawless and her delivery is seamless.

Dead Man Walking is a softer selection. Again, the keys go in multiple directions and are featured. The guitars are a bit more pronounced, the riffs more challenging and directed. Barbara’s vocals go dark and are overlaid in a most dramatic fashion. You get a hint of what her solo material sounds like here, she can really sing with feeling and this selection demonstrates that capability. The song itself is a somewhat strange tale, you don’t often get songs about prison outside Country Western. But that’s the topic here, at least in the literal sense. Of course, interpretation means everything and we could easily argue that the focus is on freedom, or the lack of freedom, from whatever cause. Lyrics take us to the topic and provide us an opportunity to focus on our own interpretation:

De Rerum Natura puts the keys on the back burner in favor of a strutting guitar. But the vocals continue to crunch. Again, I almost find it hard to believe the same singer is working here as the one I listened to on the more laid back solo CD. But Barbara can belt out hard metal as well as anyone. There’s an interesting bridge in this one where the boys get to strut their stuff. This song, as with most of the others, is not a short selection, it carries on for over 7 minutes, and there are numerous segments that almost stand-alone. In some parts the guitars drive the action but in others, it’s the keys. Again, reminds me of some Dream Theater material.

Avoid the Feelings begins with the keys again. They lead to a guitar riff, which evolves into a somewhat softer vocal line. Barbara’s vocals can stray from the metal to a sound that is almost classic, like if only for short periods of time, especially on the high notes. But even here, we move back and forth between the guitar sounds and a variety of keyboard sounds that segment the vocals into individual compartments.

One of the most interesting selections is the final one, Ultraworld. This one’s almost like a commercial for insanity. Reminds me of the darker moments in the late 60s when Country Joe and the Fish were taking us to places we sometimes never came back from. And the selection is almost 10 minutes; we’re getting into Dead Head country now. But with a heavy contribution from a keyboard that makes sounds I haven’t heard before. And the lyrics, both spoken and sung, reflect those "dazed and confused" times:

Barbara’s vocals go along for the ride, a long ride with a multitude of different styles ranging from soft and seductive to driven and thundering. Who passed out the acid while I wasn’t looking?

Imperviae Auditiones, or Difficult Listening for those of us with limited linguistic skills, is anything but difficult listening. It’s interesting listening, at times beautiful, at other times hard as nails. But never tame, never boring. A wealth of versatility and intelligent production . So if you like this one, give Barbara’s solo a listen, you might even like it better.

9.5 / 10