• 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 ]

Black Rose Maze: Black Rose Maze

Melodic Hard Rock

4.0/5.0

Facebook Twitter
Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 05.08.2020 | Released: 07.08.2020

The voice propelling new musical project Black Rose Maze is Canadian singer and songwriter Rosa Laricchiuta. Ms Laricchiuta has quite the pedigree: performing in 2015 on Quebec's La Voix with Def Leppard, Kelly Clarkson, and Melissa Etheridge; two albums under her belt in her native country; and touring with Trans Siberian Orchestra. Which brings us to her new project, Black Rose Maze. Rosa Laricchiuta was introduced to Frontiers Music by TSO vocalists Dino Jelusick (Animal Drive) and Jeff Scott Soto.

Rosa Laricchiuta

First things first, Ms Laricchiuta has a terrific voice, singing strong, clean, and melodic with little strain. As they say, she can really belt it out. As a songwriter, Laricchiuta has a keen sense for song rhythm and groove, melody and harmony, and dropping catchy refrains. Lyrical references seem to turn on more personal nuances. All these things are wrapped in heavier melodic hard rock, twisted with a metal edge thanks to sharp riffage and spry guitar solos. Between the beefy rhythm section and crisp riffage, you get songs notably heavy and dense, wherein some listeners may say Black Rose Maze is drifting towards more modern rock. But we're probably splitting hairs now.

Exploring a few songs, I found myself leaning towards those where the song melody and harmony rose above the heaviness, such as Free, Let Me Be, Call Me Now, or the quite catchy, and my favorite song, Laws Of Attraction featuring Jeff Scott Soto. But Laricchiuta can get into her heavy metal rock groove with songs like Only You, Maze, or the swift moving You Can't Stop Me. All said, Rosa Laricchiuta's Black Rose Maze project showcases her strengths as an exceptional vocalist and a skilled songwriter, offering listeners some heavier, perhaps more modern, melodic hard rock. Hopefully there's a long and prosperous career for this talented musician.

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

Rosa Laricchiuta's Black Rose Maze project showcases her strengths as an exceptional vocalist and a skilled songwriter, offering listeners some heavier, perhaps more modern, melodic hard rock.

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 ]