First Without Face review

WF · Sep 23, 2002

www.metalreviews.com
WITHOUT FACE - Astronomicon
Earache Records

Progressive Gothic Metal

6 songs (44'26)
Release year: 2002
Earache Records

Hungarys Without Face were unknown to me when their sophomore album came into my hands. In fact, I had this album on the corner of my desk for about a month or so, but seeing that I'm so busy listening to the great new stuff I just received, (Lacuna Coil, Trail Of Tears, Rotting Christ, Mystic Circle) I didnt have time to put an ear on that one. So what I decided to do was to take it to my car and listen to it every morning on the road to hell sorry to work. I know this introduction is not really related to the music of Without Face, but sometimes its hard to come up with something to say as an introduction !
After I inserted the CD I thought I was listening to Ayreons The Dream Sequencer. Indeed, the atmosphere of the whole album reminds me a lot of Ayreons music, at least on The Dream Sequencer since thats the only one I own. As for the music, its more progressive music than gothic music and all the songs are long epics that clock between seven and ten minutes. The progressive elements play the leading role in their music, and thats part of the weakness of this album. Most of the songs on the record lack the excitement of other progressive gothic metal acts such as Myriads. Almost all of the songs are filled with rich, complex melodies, but the music is very repetitive due to the length of the songs.

The band features both the female and male clean vocals of Julie and Andras (with very few raw male vocals) as in Lacuna Coil, and I dont think they reach the intensity of Cristina and Andrea from the coilers. The voice of Julie is above average, but she cant root the listener out of the monotony of the music.

All in all, its an average album and since the standard in gothic metal is quite high compared to other metal genres, I can only give an average quotation to this record.

Killing Songs : Talamasca Jack 70 / 100

Add your comment...
Without Face Rocks! - keith wright (09 Sep 2002 17:04:25)
Subject: Without Face Rocks!
From: keith wright
Location: New Jersey
Favorite bands or metal style: Blind Guardian, Freedom Call, Nightwish
Date: 09 Sep 2002 17:04:25
Message: Give this disc a few more spins, man. Its brilliant! But its complexity takes a few spins to sink in. The track "In The Garden is absolutely mesmerizing!
The dual vocals work very well, and I especially like that the male vocals are aggressive at times, but NOT in the Death Metal vein. This is one of my big surprises for 2002, and I recommend it to fans of Gothic, and Lacuna Coil. Its heavier and more progressive and darker than LC, and I believe that theres enough variation in the songs to keep them all interesting.
I would rate this 90 out-of-100.

thorokol · Sep 25, 2002

My review is posted above in English, but it was written in Icelandic originally, and the English version is a bit shortened/summerized (I was a bit lazy when I wrote it, hehe). Here's the Icelandic version for your enjoyment

Taken from Dordingull.com webzine: http://www.dordingull.com/hardkjarni/review/plotudomur.php?n_id=373

Without Face - Astronomicon
[Earache/Elitist] 2002
http://www.withoutface.com/

Without Face er hljómsveit sem kemur frá Ungverjalandi - landi sem virðist vera að vaxa hvað varðar að gefa af sér fleiri gæða þungarokkshljómsveitir. Síðasta ungverska sveitin sem ég kynntist vel er sveitin Stonehenge, sem gerði allt vitlaust í prog-heiminum þegar þeir gáfu út plötuna Angelo Salutante og fengu m.a. sjálfan Daniel Gildenlow úr Pain of Salvation til að syngja nokkur lög með live og í stúdíói (ekki þó á Angelo Salutante).

Ungverskar sveitir virðast hafa svolítið edge sem aðrar vestrænar sveitir hafa ekki og það er að alast upp við annan tónlistarbakgrunn (austur-evrópskan) en við hérna í Vestur-Evrópu og þess vegna er möguleiki á að maður sé að heyra einhverja samblöndu af tónlist með áhrifum sem maður hefur e.t.v. ekki heyrt áður. Kannski vegna þessa er alveg full ástæða til að leita til fjarlægra landa ef maður er orðinn eitthvað leiður á einsleitu tónlistarúrvali vesturlanda.

En hvað um það, Without Face er sveit sem, með Astronomicon, er að gefa út sína aðra plötu eftir að hafa fengið góða dóma fyrir sínu fyrstu plötu Deep Inside. Þá plötu gáfu þeir út á Dark Symphonies útgáfunni bandarísku sem er leiðandi í melódísku goth og extreme metali í Bandaríkjunum. Ég hef ekki heyrt Deep Inside, en ef mark er takandi á þeim umsögnum sem ég hef lesið er um að ræða meira extreme tónlist en er að finna á Astronomicon, en á nýju plötunni hafi bandið augljóslega haft stærra budget, enda er sándið frábært og öll productionin til fyrirmyndar.

Hljómsveitin spilar sambland af progressive metal og gothic metal, allt með frekar drungalegum yfirtón. Tónlistin á Astronomicon er af þeim toga að maður fattar hana ekki alveg til fullnustu fyrr en eftir margítrekaðar hlustanir, því það er svo margt í gangi (söngvararnir syngja t.d. oft mismunandi laglínur) og lögin löng og yfirgripsmikil. Ég er örugglega búinn að hlusta á diskinn 10 sinnum og enn er ég að fíla þetta betur og betur... sem í mínum bókum er merki um gæði. Diskurinn inniheldur 6 lög, þar af fimm sem eru við 8-9 mínúturnar og er diskurinn fyrir vikið 44 mínútur sem er fínt þó það sé í styttra lagi. Þeir bæta upp fyrir hina stuttu lengd með svo djúpstæðri tónlist að hlustandinn (þ.e. ég) spilar diskinn að meðaltali tvisvar yfir í hvert sinn

Liðskipan Without Face telur 6 manneskjur, þar af eina söngkonu sem sér um sönginn ásamt einum karlanna. Þetta er týpisk liðskipan eins og margar af gothic beauty and the beast metal sveitunum hafa, og gerir það að verkum að progressive metal Without Face tekur á sig drungalegri og meiri gothic ásýnd. Söngkonan er með virkilega góða rödd og syngur eins og engill, ekki ósvipað The Gathering og karlsöngurinn er oftast á clean nótunum en tekur endrum og eins á sig meiri extreme mynd. Það mætti lýsa þessari blöndu sem Dream Theater meets Within Temptation (Enter).

Þessi plata hittir alveg í markið hjá mér og er líklega með því besta sem er að gerast í progressive metalinu í ár.

Einkunn: 9,5/10

Thorsteinn Kolbeinsson

WF · Sep 27, 2002

thanks for putting here the icelandic version

and thanks for the great review

here's another from Croatian metal magazin United Forces

Without Face - Astronomicon
/Earache-Trolik/
Madarski band Without Face predstavio nam je jednu odlicnu kombinaciju progressive,gothic i doom metala.
Ovo je njihov drugi album i ako ga usporedimo sa prethodnikom "Deep Inside" koji je uglavnom bio doom-gothic
usmjerenja , progressivna crta koja se pojavila na "Astronomiconu" nedvojbeno je jako obogatila njihov izricaj.
U maniru pravih progresivnih i doom bandova na albumu se nalazi samo sest vrlo dugih pjesama koje stilski variraju od gotovo ciste progressive, pa sve do totalne melankolije.Medutim u velikoj vecini to je kombinacija
gore navedenih stilova sa vrlo dobrim aranzmania koji sprecavaju pojavljivanje dosade kod dugackih pjesama.
Nosioci cijelog albuma ipak su vokali musko-zenska kombinacija koja funkcionira besprijekorno u svom netipicnom izrazaju, jer uglavnom pjevaju istovremeno, tako da cesto imamo osjecaj refrenskog viseglasnog
pjevanja. Ostali muzicari naravno ne zaostaju kvalitetom i svoj dio posla odradili su bez greske. Od sest pjesama na albumu posebno bih istaknuo tri, ato su: progresivna 'Wierd Places', zatim izvrsna'Pit & Pendulum' i 'The Violin Of Erich Zann' pjesama u kojoj se na momente pojavljuju gotovo balck vokali sto je dosta atipicno za Without Face. "Astronomicon" je jedan odlican album u svom mracno-melankolicnom zanru i ljubiteljima takvog metala svakako bih ga preporucio, a ako ga ne nabavite odmah, mozda cete to uciniti kad band cujete uzivo, jer ih na
jesen ocekujemo u Hratskoj.
Maras. 8/10

WF · Oct 1, 2002

http://www.eternal-terror.com

Without Face - Astronomicon
Earache, 2002
3,5/5

Så var det Without Face, da. Denne plata har jeg slitt lenge med, og fortsatt er det mye som ikke sitter. Jeg ble fortalt at det her skulle være goth, men ikke faen. Seks sanger, og alle er lengre enn lengst. Progressiv metal, vil jeg heller si. Synthen er i hvert fall progga som faen, det samme gitarene også til tider. Det er når musikken flater seg ut, med tunge riff, at den tiltaler meg mest. Dessverre blir det for mange partier med progressivt sammensurium,(med en sterk referanse til Dream Theater på sitt verste), og derfor blir helhetsinntrykket trukket ned.

Vokalmessig stiller Without Face med både kvinnelig og mannlig vokalist. Den mannlige er for det meste ren, men heller av og til over i nærmest black-vokal. Kvinnfolket synger heldigvis ikke for mye opera, men holder stemmen avbalansert og rolig. Det kan jeg like.

Alt i alt, en plate som nok blir liggende ganske så langt nede i spillebunken. Men for all del, hvis progressiv metal/rock med kvinnfolkvokal er din ting, så kan du likeså godt sjekke ut det her.

Hans Olav, 12.09.02

WF · Oct 1, 2002

http://www.helldriver-magazine.de

WITHOUT FACE - Astronomicon
(Earache Records)

Gesichtslos war in der tat ein Adjektiv, das sich mir beim Erklingen der ersten Töne der CD aufdrängte. Nicht schon wieder ne Gothic-Metal-Combo mit ner Frau am Mikro... Anfangs kommen einem in der Tat erst mal Namen wie Gathering, Lacuna Coil usw. in den Sinn. Tatsächlich ziehen die Ungarn von Without Face durchaus ihr eigenes Ding durch. Gothic ist da mal ein Anhaltspunkt unter mehreren, denn da wird auch noch ordentlich von nem Sänger geschrieen und von ner sehr tighten Band ab und an durchaus progressiv und Dream Theater-verwandt gefrickelt. Eine eher unkonventionelle Mischung also, ganz und gar nicht konventionell sind auch die langen Songs, kurze Chart-Stürmer wird Earache bzw. deren Unterlabel Elitist damit nicht ernten. So wird die Gesamtspielzeit von ca. 45 Minuten über gerade mal 6 Songs verteilt, mit über neun Minuten ist der fünfte Track der längste. Leider liegt mir hier nur ein Cardsleeve-Promo vor, über die ordentliche Produktion lässt sich somit auch nichts detaillierteres sagen - genauso wenig wie über das Booklet, schade auch. Die Sängerin und der Sänger setzen ihre Stimmen fast als ein eigenes Instrument ein, meist getrennt voneinander, gelegentlich aber auch gleichzeitig drücken sie dem Album ihren Stempel auf. Insgesamt ein spannendes Album, dem man etwas Zeit und Konzentration gönnen sollte um die Qualitäten würdigen zu können. Seit Anfang Juli im Plattenladen...(tj)

WF · Oct 7, 2002

www.earshot.at

WITHOUT FACE - Astronomicon
Label: Earache

Schon wieder eine Frau!!! Das wird doch nicht gar ein Omen sein

Aber macht nix, hehehe, denn diese Scheibe ist mal wieder eine, die weniger verspricht, als sie hält! Erster Eindruck, optisch: Gothic Melodic Kommerz Schwarzschlampen + Schwuchtelkacke zum Kohlescheffeln, düstere Farben, schwarze Shirts, Haare im Wind, regt zum Wegwerfen an.

Einmal kurz reingelauscht Mega AHA Erlebnis! Stimme und Gesangsleistung der Sängerin sind herausragend schön, auch die männlichen Vocals wissen sehr zu überzeugen. Zweistimmige Gesangsparts, progressive Rhythmik und Keyboards strafen alle Verdachtsmomente auf Gothic LÜGEN, dieses Album ist einfach nur wunderschön, stimmungs- und niveauvoll!!
Auch bestialische Death/Black Vocals hat man hier eingeflochten, wie kleine Knoten in wunderschönen langen Haaren... also interessant, nicht alltäglich und vor allem effektiv! Und, äh, ausfrisierbar, für Leute, die das nicht mögen ;-)
Man hat auch H.P.Lovecraft als lyrische Inspiration genommen, sehr edel !
Einziges Manko auf Dauer geht die Spannung etwas verloren, und besonders catchy sind die Songs auch nicht, was aber ein länger andauerndes Hörvergnügen verspricht. DREAM THEATER haben hier zum Teil auch Pate gestanden, der Gesamte Gesangsstil kommt harmonisch in etwas BLIND GUARDIAN ähnlich, auch der Pathos ist ähnlich.
Für Freunde melodischen, weiblichen Gesangs und musikalischer Reife sind die Ungarn definitiv ein heißer Tip! Unbedingt reinhören!

www.withoutface.com

6 von 7 Punkten. Prädikat: sehr gut

Lee_B · Oct 8, 2002

Good one here

http://www.metalfactory.ch/reviews/cdreviewseptember2002.htm

WF · Oct 16, 2002

www.kronic.it

WITHOUT FACE
Astronomicon

Tutto dipende da quello che cercate in un disco. Nel caso contingente: se amate tanto il metal progressive (quello più melodico, Dream Theater ed eserciti di cloni compresi) quanto il gothic metal di stampo tradizionale, e vi chiedete quale risultato si otterrebbe nel realizzare tra i due uninsospettabile copula, significa che i Without Face sono decisamente pane per i vostri denti. E Astronomicon infatti si configura esattamente in bilico tra lanima prog della band presente nella complessità delle partiture come nei frequenti cambi di tempo / ritmo / scenari e quella più spiccatamente gothic, enfatizzata dal doppio cantanto maschile e femminile e dalle (sovente ottime) melodie.

Ed è proprio un songwriting così indovinato che eleva gli ungheresi Without Face una spanna sopra alla pletora dei semplici mestieranti del metallo. Quello che non fanno le interpretazioni individuali buone, ma certo non di livello eccellente viene reso invece da un approccio spesso brillante in fase di composizione, rievocando spesso i fantasmi ormai così ricorrenti negli ultimi anni al punto di pensare ad un vero e proprio revival di certa darkwave anni Ottanta. Un buon disco quindi, ma soprattutto ci auguriamo un semplice antipasto di quanto i Without Face potranno offrirci in futuro, quando la loro personalità si sarà pienamente sviluppata. (19/7/02)

di Francesco Eandi

3.5/5

WF · Oct 16, 2002

HARD ROCK MAGAZINE France No.83./September2002

there's an interview there with Without Face and Ephel Duath also!

WITHOUT FACE
Astronomicon

Elitist/Earache/M10

Without Face est une bonne surprise venue de l'Est, de Hongrie plus précisément.Gráce á un deal avec Elitist(donc Earache), le groupe a pu sortir de ses frontiéres pour véhiculer la bonne parole du metal.Celui que pratique Without Face est de type gothico-atmosphérique, gráce á la voix féminine lyrique et au chant masculin miraque mi-clair. Il est aussi trés progressif, avec des structures de chansons non linéaires et des plans typiques du style, qui ne sont pas sans rappeler Dream Theater (Julie en parle d'ailleurs dans l'interview de ce numéro). Attention, la musique de Without Face ne se résume pas á cela!! L'alternance des chants, les riffs et les orchestrations n'ont rier á voir avec un groupe de prog' traditionnel. Le mélange d'influences rend Astronomicon varié et mélodique. Six morceaux longs (plus de sept minutes, sauf le dernier, "Daimonion" , qui n'excéde pas trois minutes) s'enchaínent sur ce somptueux album, mais celui-ci ne donne pour autant l'effet d'un bloc interminable. de plus, la structure progressive des titres ("Pit & Pendulum", "...In The Garden", etc) les rend tout á fait "comestibles". La belle chanteuse Julie a une trés belle voix lyrique. Elle peut seulement paraítre un peu lassante sur la longueur de l' album. C'est le seul bémol que nous pouvons placer au sujet d'Astronomicon. Le reste est sans bavure, y compris le son. Chapeau pour un groupe hongrois!

N.G.

14/20
production: 15/20

WF · Oct 20, 2002

a good one here

resurrection.at

Das neue Earache-Sublabel Elitist scheint es sich, wie der Name schon vermuten läßt, zur Aufgabe gemacht zu haben, Avantgarde-Bands im extremen Metal-Bereich zu signen. So debutieren neben den italienischen Progressive Black Metallern EPHEL DUATH nun die Ungarn WITHOUT FACE und erweisen der jungen Plattenfirma alle Ehre. Selten bis gar nicht habe ich bislang progressiven(!) Gothic Metal gehört und einen solchen Stil auch nicht unbedingt für möglich gehalten, da das übliche honigsüße Geträllere der Gothic-Sirenen einfach nicht mit komplexen Songs zu vereinbaren scheint. WITHOUT FACE schaffen es aber anscheinend mit Leichtigkeit, anspruchsvolle Songstrukturen mit gleichzeitig eingängigen Refrains zu kombinieren und bringen dadurch frischen Wind in die eher stagnierende Gothic-Szene. Und während z.B. bei DREAMS OF SANITY die Songs zwar ebenso anspruchsvoll sind, dabei aber nichts im Ohr hängen bleibt, bieten WITHOUT FACE immer wieder Ohrwurm-Melodien, die das Progressive positiv kontrastieren, sodaß die Songs nachvollziehbar bleiben und sich im Gehör festsetzen. Einziges Manko bleibt aber auch hier der zu überzogene weibliche Gesang, zumal dieses "operettenhafte" nicht nötig wäre und zeitweise etwas nervt, aber ich möchte mich hier nicht in Details verlieren... Auch in lyrischer Hinsicht scheint man sich Gedanken gemacht zu haben, zumal Songtitel wie "Talamasca" und "Daimonion" einen philosophischen Background vermuten lassen bzw. "Pit and pendulum" an E. A. Poe erinnert. Unterm Strich ein beeindruckendes Debut, welches WITHOUT FACE eine erfolgreiche Zukunft bescheren sollte - vielleicht als die "DREAM THEATER des Gothic Metal"...
9/10

WF · Oct 20, 2002

this one we don't understand, but it seems good

castleofpagan.com
nK[ÌvObVESVbNE^Eoh WITHOUT FACE ÌAEarache ©çÌ[XÆÈÁ½ 2nd AoEEEÁÄä[©A±êÜÅ¶Ý·çmçÈ©Á½ñ¾¯ÇARCc¢Á½¢½ÒIH
ââáßÌg[Å¿¢½\vmð®©¹éºVK[ Juliette ìÆA÷ºÆÊºðXCb`µÈªçGLZgbNÉ\»·éj«VK[ Andras ÌfGbgð¿ã°éæ¤Éå¿_ÌÍAXOÉ\z³ê½_[NÈeNjJEvObVE^ÅA»Ì[hEChÈ_Å©ÄS_âèÌ³¢tÌÍÊZXÍnK[YÆ¢¤Ó«C[WðS_´¶³¹È¢àÌ¾B
ÇÁ©ç®¢ÄàvOE^ÈÌÉA»±ÉjfGbgªæé¾¯ÅÂ¢Â¢uSVbNvÆÄñ¶á¢½_ÈéÌªsvcBiêÎj
ÜÀÛÌÆ±ëAA_gÉHºÈh}ðdËé #5 "Talamasca" ` sAmÉ\vmªÞ¸â©È #6 "Daimonion" Ì¬êÍAÜ³ÉSVbN»ÌàÌ¾µASÌIÉà LACUNA COIL meets DREAM THATER ÁÄÈ´GÅ éÌÍÀ¾¯ÇËB
fB©ÌÌ[ÀxÍáßÈCª·éªAÇ±©âµ°ÈË«²¯È³ªøµo·ÆÁÌ¢ItB[Oiu¢IvÁÄÌÍ½ÔñæüÏ^êÎjÌSnÇ³ÆATEhÌNIeBÌ³ÈÇª´¶³¹éSÌðïÞ[hÌÇD³ÉÍA[ªÈ«´ð¾çêéB
AAndras ÌjºEEEvçÈ¢bXIi¾j@¾ÁÄEEEºè¶áñHij

83/100

WF · Oct 20, 2002

this one we should understand - but...no.

The War Against Silence

There's something enduringly bizarre, for that matter, about English having ended up as the lingua franca of macabre metal at all, particularly since so many of its emotional centers don't currently fall in English-speaking countries. Without Face are from Hungary, and although you wouldn't actually pass through there on an overland journey from Finland to Italy, a carefully-drawn line on a map could connect the three, and to me Without Face produce a quite-plausible approximation of a midpoint between the Scandinavian version of female-led gothic metal, à la Tristania/Sirenia/Nightwish, and its Italian counterpart in Lacuna Coil. No subgenre is fully functional without some younger bands making a simpler version of the masters' style, and Without Face are a Fates Warning to Nightwish's Dream Theater, perhaps, or a Paula Cole to Tori Amos. Their arrangements rest more squarely on lock-step guitar and bass, and Juliette's smooth lead vocals are left to their own more often than woven into choirs. Despite the dorky album title and the always-dubious inclusion of a song supposedly based on a long-dead person's letters, though, Astronomicon is actually somewhat less indebted to genre conventions, it seems to me, and maybe a small step closer to being appreciable as a metal-derived rock band rather than just a masquerade staging. Understated drum production helps. An avoidance of conflicting melodic strategies helps. Conventionally silky guitar solos (almost never to be found in Sirenia or Tristania) help. Having only one song shorter than seven minutes, of course, hurts, as does the veil of distance that Juliette's singing never quite pierces. And in the end this is still gothic metal diluted with progressive metal, which for many people will be like cutting arsenic with cyanide. But one person's eternity of excruciating torture is another person's forty-five minutes of comforting indulgence.

veil the sky · Oct 21, 2002

sorry ....was that an album review?

WF · Oct 21, 2002

oviously

no.) but at least they tried!

WF · Oct 31, 2002

Imperiumi.net
Without Face : Astronomicon (Elitist Records)

Unkarilaisen Without Facen toinen albumi "Astronomicon" antaa kuuntelijalleen miettimisen aihetta. Jo ensimmäisen kappaleen "Weird Places" aikana käydään läpi niin vanhaa The Gatheringia, progressiivista rockia kuin suoraviivaisempaakin metallia. Lauluosuudet alkavat puhtaalla naislaululla, johon liittyy matkan aikana sekä puhdasta että örinäpitoista miesvokalisointia. Hämmentävää. Näin laajalla areenalla taistellessa jotkut sodat voitetaan ja jotkut hävitään. Without Facen vahvuudeksi voidaan lukea bändin luonnollinen ote proge-musiikkiin: yhtye ei pitäydy täysin mutkittelussa ja kikkailussa, vaan osaa oikean hetken kohdalla rymistellä "oikean" metalliyhtyeen tavoin. Kahdeksanminuttiset kappaleetkin soljuvat luontevasti eteenpäin eikä tylsistymisestä ole vaaraa. Levy vaatii kuitenkin kuuntelua, sillä ainakin ensimmäisten kuuntelukertojen aikana levy hulahti pelottavan nopeasti läpi kaikki kuusi biisiään ilman suurempia mieleenpainumia. Soittopuolella taidosta ei ole pulaa ja etenkin syntikat on toteutettu tyylikkäänä äänimattona klassisen pianon huojuessa vapautuneesti muiden instrumenttien kanssa. Koska kappaleita levyllä on vain kuusi, on mitään selviä hittibiisejä vaikea nostaa esiin. No, ainakin hieman nopeampi "...In the Garden" kuuluu levyn parhaimmistoon. Niin ja joo, sanoituspuolella luotetaan klassisiin kauhukirjailijoihin Edgar Allan Poehen ja H.P. Lovecraftiin, mikä on aina plussaa, tosin levyn tunnelma ei saavuta täysin sitä täydellistä synkkyyttä, mikä edellä mainittujen nerojen opuksissa sykkii. Mitä "Astronomicon"in heikkouksiin tulee, niin edellä mainitun koukkujen puuttumisen lisäksi miespuolinen puhdas laulu ei oikein miellytä korvaa. Äänestä puuttuu tulkintaa ja tunnelmaa, se kuulostaa enemmänkin läpiviedyltä suoritukselta kuin tunnepitoiselta performanssilta. Örinä- ja naislaulut ovat hyvää keskitasoa, vaikkakin hieman ennalta-arvattavat. Kenelle tällaista soppaa voi sitten suositella. Itse uskoisin ainakin vanhan The Gatheringin ystävien pitävän "Astronomicon"in tunnelmasta. Myös avarakatseisten tunnelmametallin harrastajien kannattaa ainakin kokeilla Without Facea.

7/10

A. Klemi

WF · Oct 31, 2002

calamityproject.com
without face
astronomicon
earache

without face is a name that's new to my collection. this band is a hungarian progressive metal band akin to the likes of opeth, garden of shadows, the gathering, theatre of tragedy, and dream theater. not being to knowledgable on prog metal, i was open to giving this record a listen. i must say, it is a pretty enjoyable record, for music that i really haven't been much into in the past.

the musicianship and songwriting on this record is excellent. the chord progressions, harmonies, and melodies on this record are stunning. emotions are pouring through rhythms and vocal harmonies. the frontwoman, named juliette, has an amazing voice that compliments the music excellently. the record itself seems to flow seamlessly, ranging from uplifting to dark and back around again, but doing it in a way where it's not choppy, rather it flows through very nicely.

if you're a fan of opeth, garden of shadows, the gathering, etc. etc., then i suggest picking this up. i don't think you will be disappointed.

WF · Oct 31, 2002

gothcore.nl

Without Face - Astronomicon

Het is nog niet eens zo gek lang geleden dat Without Face het debuut album 'Deep Inside' uitbracht bij het Amerikaanse label Dark Symphonies. Hoewel het album niet echt geweldig werd ontvangen liet de Hongaarse band wel zien (horen) potentie te hebben. Dat viel blijkbaar ook het Engelse Earache Records op, want met Without Face schiet Earache na de aanwinsten van ondermeer Rakoth, December en Ephel Duath opnieuw in de roos.

Wat Without Face op 'Astronomicon' doet is moeilijk te omschrijven. Without Face is zo'n band die zich niet in een hokje laat stoppen. Muzikale vrijheid boven alles zeg maar gerust. Hetgeen ervoor zorgt dat Without Face op 'Astronomicon' klinkt als een progressieve mengelmoes van Pain of Salvation, Slayer, Anathema, Therion en Nightwish. Het feit dat Without Face drie kwartier doet over 'maar' zes nummers zegt wat dat betreft ook meer dan genoeg. Mooi is echter niet alleen de muziek, maar ook de heerlijke zang van zowel zanger Andreas als die van zangeres Juliette is voortreffelijk, vooral zangeres Juliette maakt een uitstekende indruk. Het voorbeeld voor een Without Face nummer is wat dat betreft "Pit and Pendulum", een nummer wat behalve prachtige zang van de eerder genoemde Juliette ook opvallende gitaarriffs bevat, alsof Annihilator gitarist Jeff Waters zich met het schrijfproces van het nummer heeft bemoeid. Ook leuk zijn de vogeltjes aan het begin van "...In the garden" de viool in "The Violin of Erich Zann" en de mooie afsluiter "Daimonion". Ook erg goed is de agressieve zang van Andreas aan het begin van "The Violin of Erich Zann", daar hadden we best nog wat meer van mogen horen, want de echte power moet toch vooral komen van drummer Peter, bassist Akos en gitarist Roomy. Het is echter de enige kanttekening op een verder uitstekend album. De productie werkt wat dat betreft ook goed mee; 'Astronomicon' klinkt loepzuiver, bombastisch en waar nodig zelfs messcherp. 'Astronomicon' is dan ook de aanrader voor hen die de muziek van Gothic Metal bands als Nightwish en Within Temptation te hitgevoelig en te simpel vinden. Hier gaan we hoe dan ook nog meer van horen, binnenkort maar op tournee of niet heren en dame?

8,0

Ate Hoekstra

WF · Nov 9, 2002

www.musikkavisen.no
Artist: Without Face
Album: Astronomicon
Format: CD
Selskap: Earache Records/ MNW
Without Face kommer fra Ungarn, av alle steder. "Astronomicon" er deres andre utgivelse. De debuterte med "Deep Innside" i 2000. Ellers har bandet eksistert siden 1997, og spiller etter eget sigende en blanding av goth, prog og thrash.

På en måte synes jeg dette bandet føyer seg til rekken av Dream Theater wannabies, uten å egentlig mene det på noen ekkel måte. Jeg finner igjen mange av elementene fra Dream Theaters musikk hos Without Face, men de skiller seg også fra hverandre på mange områder. Det er mer følelsen rundt musikken jeg synes er Dream Theateraktigsamspill gitar, synth sære tromme, bass arrangementer osv

Det første som tilsier at Without Face virkelig er noe for seg sjøl, er måten de blander dame- og herrestemme. Bandet har to vokalister, som begge fungerer utmerket på egenhånd, men som er nærmest utopiske når de samspiller på sitt beste. Ellers begynner jeg å venne meg til at de fleste band består av eminente musikere, noe som også (selvfølgelig) gjelder for dette bandet.

Without Face skiller seg godt ut i fra den gemene hop på den måten at begge vokalistene er en nytelse å lytte til, samtidig som alle de seks spora på "Astronomicon" er av veldig høy kvalitet. Det er ikke noen vits i å trekke fram enkeltspordette er et glimrende album.

Anbefaling: Liker du progressiv, melodiøs metall av høy kvalitet, kjøper du heller dette albumet enn brød og melk.

Tekst - Thomas Hansen

WF · Nov 9, 2002

"I am I"??????must be a big fan...

Transcending The Mundane

Without Face - Astronomicon

(Comments on the album or review? Post 'em at the bottom of the page.)
Hungary's Without Face made an impact this past winter when Dark Symphonies reissued their debut, Deep Inside. With a new deal in place with Earache Records via Elitist, Without Face return with this six song full length. Sporting a cover that is at once beautiful and grotesque (you've got to see it to believe it). Astronomicon is more progressive than Deep Inside. Musically, it's much more intricate and keyboard oriented. Female vocalist Juliet takes on a larger role. It would seem as though Astronomicon would be the better album but nothing here is as catchy as "I Am I" from Deep Inside. After repeated listens there are moments where Without Face are fresh sounding and captivating, however, musically their Dream Theater influence is stronger than ever and they are too busy for any music to be memorable. A very talented band nonetheless. EARACHE.

Album Score: 8 out of 10
Reviewed By: Brett VanPut

WF · Nov 9, 2002

Ink19.com
Without Face
Astronomicon
Earache
Wow! All I can say is "wow!" When I think of dramatic prog rock, Without Face's sound is what pops into my head. These guys are seasoned musicians, and their skills are absolutely exceptional! From the intricate, melodic guitar lines, to the angelic female/male vocal play, Astronomicon is simply a nearly perfect album of technical metal.

What really amazes me about Astronomicon is the way in which the musicians make extremely technical music sound as if it were easily created or played. Time signatures shift at the drop of a hat, guitars are playing harmonized and beautifully constructed lines of notes, the female vocalist signs in a soft, high voice that seems to be coated in velvet... WOW! There's an almost indescribable effect, when listening to people who have obviously devoted their lives to music, coming together to make something truly amazing happen!

I did note, however, that this record is near perfect, not actually perfect; the reasons are small, but significant. The first issue I take is with the lead male vocalists voice: it's terrible. He sounds very much like the lead singer of System of a Down, and that guy bugs the crap out of me. He's also campy and cheeky! The other thing that needs to go is the ridiculous overabundance of synthesized keyboards. Sickening! I can understand some here and there, but the keyboards ruined Rush's music, and they nearly ruin this gem, as well!

I can only highly recommend this to fans of prog metal, what I like to call "thinking man/ woman's" metal. Everyone else will think it sounds like Dream Theater and laugh.

Earache Records: http://www.earache.com

First Without Face review

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