• 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 ]

Heavatar: Opus II - The Annihilation

Heavy/Power Metal

3.5/5.0

Website Facebook
EarMusic
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 07.02.2018

When Stefan Schmidt (vocals, guitar) isn't promoting the a cappella metal band Van Canto, he's directing his Heavatar project. Schmidt and Heavatar gain inspiration from classical music composers to create their melodic heavy power metal. Or as Schmidt has asked, "What would it sound like, if Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and friends joined a metal band?" We will find out with their latest creation Opus II - The Annihilation.

Heavatar

Or perhaps not. We only have Schmidt's word. Apparently Puccini informs the chords of None Shall Sleep. The small piano opening to Hijacked By Unicorns (great song title by the way) is from Chopin to create a heavy metal shuffle. If there is any recognizable reference to a great classical composer it comes with the title track, The Annihilation where Heavatar steals the distinctive opening from Beethoven's fifth symphony.

Then Schmidt adds that ideas come from Mendelssohn, Boellmann, and Vivaldi. But what these musical ideas are and where they appear are not all that obvious. With songs such as A Broken Taboo, A Battle Against All Hope, and the lighter An Awakening, Heavatar adds a basic synth symphonic layer to give the songs a "classical" feel. With A Battle Against All Hope you may notice a stronger "violin" presence. For pure classical symphonics, there's an orchestral version of A Look Inside as a bonus track. Additionally, with Metal Daze, Heavatar does a cover of that great classical composer Manowar. But all said, Heavatar's Opus II - The Annihilation merely sounds like traditional heavy/power metal with a touch of symphonic and classical nuances. There's nothing new there, but it does sound rather epic.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

All said, Heavatar's Opus II - The Annihilation merely sounds like traditional heavy/power metal with a touch of symphonic and classical nuances. There's nothing new there, but it does sound rather epic.

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 ]