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[ More Music Reviews ]

Anthenora: Mirrors And Screens

Traditional Heavy/Power Metal

3.0/5.0

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Punishment 18 Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 18.11.2020 | Released: 27.11.2020

Being my first experience with obscure Italian metal band Anthenora, some history is required. Formed in 1989, and named after the frozen lake in Dante's Inferno, the band had a passion for traditional heavy metal. Three demo tapes appeared between 1991 and 1998, after which Anthenora pursued being an Iron Maiden tribute band. Yet, this paid off for the quintet as they where selected to support, several times, Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain for his Total McBrain Damage clinics. Eventually the band would progress to write their own music, and three studio albums of original material surfaced between 2004 and 2010 ... and then there was silence. Now Anthenora returns with their fourth long player, Mirrors And Screens.

Anthenora

But from the start Anthenora have shot themselves in the foot with this new album. Anthenora's Mirror And Screen requires a caveat emptor: let the buyer, or listener, beware. The promotional electronic press kit (EPK) I received came with a significant problem. The song mp3s were not encoded with track numbers, neither did the file titles have track numbers. Essentially, I did not know in which order to listen to the songs. It took me some time to find the correct track listing. I attempted to contact Punishment 18 Records about the problem, but received no reply and so no help (as of this writing). I say these things to suggest that, if you purchase this album in digital form, you may have the same problem. Perhaps less with a physical CD. I don't know. The bottom line is that, initially, it made for a review difficult.

But to say something in review is still possible. First, Anthenora knows classic melodic heavy metal. Their music is real "keep it true" heavy metal with more than a little power metal gallop. The twin guitar harmony stands out as well as the abundance of terrific guitar solos. Musically then, Mirrors And Screens will scratch the itch of any traditional metal fan. The wild card is vocalist Luigi Bonansea. While he sings, basically, clean and melodic, he also has that odd combination of sounding both garbled and screamo. Add the fact that he's not singing in his native language, and he's very difficult to listen to or appreciate. It makes me wonder how he tackles an Iron Maiden cover.

For a sampling of songs, most are fast and heavy like Alive, Funny Fricky(?) Killer, No ... So What, and Tiresias. You may perhaps find some heavy metal with rock groove in Like and Peter Pan. With Digital Feelings and the ballad Bully(?) Lover you get the addition of some skillful acoustic guitar. If you're wondering if Bonansea sounds clearer within a ballad, the answer would be, no. All in all, with the digital encoding problems acknowledged, and musically speaking only, Anthenora's Mirrors And Screens offers some interesting traditional and classic heavy metal.

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 in all, with the digital encoding problems acknowledged, and musically speaking only, Anthenora's Mirrors And Screens offers some interesting traditional and classic heavy metal.

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Six years after the success of their self-titled debut album, Multi-national trio Six By Six returns with their second album, Beyond Shadowland. The band, once again, feature guitarist Ian Crichton (Saga), drummer ... [ Read More ]

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