Dave Hargreaves gives us a heads-up on a great up-and-coming Metal outfit from Melbourne, Australia.
He caught them live 3 times in early March, and came back each time raving about them. Here he gives us the lowdown on Enter Twilight.
Seen at:
Hells Kitchen Saturday 3rd March
Edwards Tavern Thursday 8th March
Hallam Hotel Monday 12th March[size]
Enter Twilight is a 6 piece outfit from Melbourne, playing original melodic / progressive metal. The bands current line up is:
Lidia Szymczak - vocals
Richard Hausberger - guitar
Damir Sisak - guitar
Leigh Askew - keyboards
Robert Laghi - bass
John Wauchope - drums.
After seeing these guys (and girl) live 3 times in just over a week, the impression I have is that Enter Twilight would have to be considered one of the most promising new bands in the Australian metal scene.
I would describe the bands style as melodic metal, but their music is imaginative and creative enough to fit into the progressive metal genre as well.
The difference between Enter Twilight and a lot of progressive bands, however, is that they seem to be focussed more on good songwriting than on over-the top instrumental indulgence. In other words, although the progressive element of their sound is always present, it is not excessive or unnecessary. In fact, the guitarists and keyboard player tend to spend more time working together on melodies and harmonies (some of which reminded me of classic Queensryche) than trying to out-do each other with self indulgent solos, which is always a good thing as far as Im concerned.
There are two other things that set Enter Twilight apart from similar bands. The first is drummer John Wauchope, whos beats really add to the feel of the music, rather than simply being a time keeped. Where many metal drums would just lock on to a standard heavy backbeat, John is on top of every accent and nuance, making the most of every riff of groove.
The second thing that sets this band apart from their peers is the tremendous vocal talent of Lydia Szymczak. No matter how much I write here, I dont think I could possibly describe just how incredible this young ladys voice really is or if I did, people would probably assume that I was exaggerating. What I will say, is that I dont think I have ever heard a better female singer fronting a metal band (or any other type of band for that matter), anywhere!
Live, the band has good stage presence, and always appear to be really enjoying themselves, even in less than ideal conditions (ie, faulty sound equipment etc). An enthusiastic audience at the front of the stage really seems to bring out the best in their performance.
The band are currently working on their first album, and hope to have a website online in the near future. Keep watching UltimateMetal.com for more news.
