• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

November 2024

• Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
• Lionville: Supernatural
• Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
• Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
• Lonerider: Down In The Dust
• Seventh Crystal: Entity
• Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
• Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
• Impellitteri: War Machine
• Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

• Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
• DGM: Endless
• Daytona: Garder la Flamme
• Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
• Frost*: Life In The Wires
• Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
• Fans Of The Dark: Video
• Radioactive: Reset
• House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
• Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

September 2024

• Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
• Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
• Eclipse: Megalomanium II
• SteelCity: Reverence
• Hydra: ReHydrated
• Heartwind: III
• Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
• Find Me: Nightbound
• The Nail: The Nail
• Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
• Stryper: When We Were Kings
• Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
• Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
• Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly

August 2024

• Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
• Paralydium: Universe Calls
• Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
• Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
• All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
• Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2

[ More Music Reviews ]

Hysterica: The Art of Metal

Heavy Metal

3.5/5.0

Website Facebook
Black Lodge Records
by Craig Hartranft,  02.27.2012

Even with the sometimes prejudice inherent in the industry, music usually offers a level playing field for both sexes. Hysterica, the all female metal band from Sweden, can certainly hold their own against their male peers in the traditional metal scene. This is once more evident in their sophomore release, The Art of Metal.

Above, Hysterica: here's a suggestion: don't get into a bar fight with these ladies.

Musically, the girls in Hysterica are basically staying the course. The Art of Metal is packed with very good traditional melodic heavy metal, more often on the power metal side, sometimes, as on Message, a slower almost doom side. Fighters of the Century, Live or Die, the pure metal of Force, and the short yet frisky Heels are top notch classic heavy metal songs. But, and you were probably sensing there was going to be an objection, Hysterica has added something else, something not necessarily becoming to their great heavy metal.

It seems vocalist Ani De Vil is, hopefully, at the very best, only experimenting with gruff death vocals on this album. Frankly, she's actually good at them, notably on Fighters of the Century. At the very worst, one hopes that this isn't for current commercial appeal or that it will continue. Simply speaking, De Vil has an excellent heavy metal vocal style, especially as a clean singer. Ultimately, then, this makes The Art of Metal a lingering disappointment to this listener.

Nevertheless, despite these reservations, on The Art of Metal, Hysterica still brings solid and entertaining traditional heavy metal, with even greater maturity. If you can suck it up and bear the harsh vocals, you'll like this album.

More Ways to Share This Review

Despite my reservations with the inclusion of harsh/death vocals, on The Art of Metal, Hysterica still brings solid and entertaining traditional heavy metal, with even greater maturity. If you bear the harsh vocals, you'll like this album.

Alphabetical Index

eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]