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Everdawn: Venera
Everdawn - Venera Album Art

Everdawn: Venera

Melodic/Progressive/Power Metal
4.5/5.0

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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 13.12.2023 | Released: 08.12.2023

The roots of New Jersey's Everdawn began with the Midnight Eternal, which released their self-titled debut album in 2016. After some personnel changes in 2019, the band changed their name to Everdawn, recruiting new vocalist Alina Gavrilenko and ubiquitous Symphony X and studio bass player, Mike LePond. This quintet would release Cleopatra in 2021 on the Sensory Records label. Now the band returns with their sophomore follow up, Venera (Russian: Venus), wherin the quite busy LePond has been replaced by Alan D'Angelo (Last Breed, Power Theory, et al).

Everdawn - Click For Larger Image

Everdawn

Musically, Everdawn offers fans a hybrid metal mix of traditional European power metal with symphonic overtures and progressive metal nuances. This recipe features some expert and spry fret work from Richard Fischer, and also Ms Gavrilenko's vocal range from straight rock to operatic metal. At times, she reminds me of Annie Haslam from Renaissance.


TSpeaking to the album and songs, you'll find Venera to be a lengthy, yet satisfying, listen with 14 songs over 62 minutes. Curiously, most songs are short and to the point, in the three to four minute range. The exception is nearly 13 minute epic Truer Words Ever Spoken, which turns more upon melodic and symphonic metal than the galloping rush of power metal.

To the shorter songs, you will find the raging strength of power metal with Samsara, Silver Lining, and perhaps Justify The Means and Karmic Partner. But those two songs, along with Century Black or The Promise, provide a mixture of pacing and heaviness. Maybe not strictly technical progressive metal but definitely feature more twists beyond typical power metal. The icing on the proverbial cake is Fischer's guitar solos. If you love lead guitar work as much as I, you will be duly impressed.

All considered, with Venera, Everdawn presents a well-crafted and creative album of melodic power metal gifted with large hints of both symphonic and progressive metal, and some epic lead guitar work. Easily recommended.




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The Take Away

All considered, with Venera, Everdawn presents a well-crafted and creative album of melodic power metal gifted with large hints of both symphonic and progressive metal, and some epic lead guitar work. Easily recommended.

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