First Without Face review

The Primal Agony Webzine (Australia)

WITHOUT FACE - "ASTRONOMICON" (ELITIST/EARACHE RECORDS)

Hungary has finally given the world a metal band that is well and truly up there with the best Europe can offer. Having formed back in 1997, it was too long before Without Face released their first album. 2000's 'Deep Inside' created a small buzz about the band, but tours with The Kovenant, The Gathering and Anathema certainly helped the cause along. It was another two years before Without Face (Who collectively are Juliette and Andras on vocals, Peter on drums, Roomy on guitars, Sasza on keyboards and Akos on bass) secured a deal with Elitist and released 'Astronomicon'.
Although the album is a mere six tracks long (Around forty four minutes), there's more than enough to keep your attention throughout. With a combination of progressive gothic with some subtle extreme elements scattered here and there. Opening up the album is the heavy riff led 'Weird Places'. Having said that, the song soon chances direction and veers from progressive metal, extreme metal and gothic inspired passages! All this in the one track may sound cluttered, by somehow the band do it with such ease and confidence that it all gels and creates a unique style for the band. The instrumentation is given a more technical aspect on 'Pit And Pendulum', while the vocal trade offs between Juliette and Andras is simply stunning. So good are their performances that it could well rival Lacuna Coil!
'...In The Garden' is one of the tracks that stand out, providing you had to choose one of an album where they could all be the best! The chorus is used to amazing effect, and the use of flutes simply embellish on the songs strong musical backdrop. The rest of the album ('The Violin Of Erich Zann', 'Talamasca' and 'Daimonion') moves along the same progressive path with great effect, and also drawing lyrical inspiration from H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe.
This album should appeal those who like progressive metal without the drawn out solo moments and self indulgence, Lacuna Coil fans and Goths in general. For more information on Without Face, check out - http://www.withoutface.com/
Justin Donnelly
 
Progpower.de

Without Face - Astronomicon
Added: December 29th 2002
Reviewer: Gary
Score: 4/5


Artist: Without Face
Title: Astronomicon
Label: Earache
Length: 44’16”
Tracks: 6
Style: Progressive Gothic Metal
Origin: Hungary

With so many countries in Europe it is always interesting when a band from a traditionally non-metal home venture into the metal market and make an impact that Without Face have managed. The band, formed in 1997, released their debut, Deep Inside, in June of 2000 (of which I have not heard).

Whilst Astronomicon, the second album from this 6-piece, is relatively short at only 44 minutes, this 6-track disc contains songs between 7 and 10 minutes with only the 3-minute concluding ballad unbalancing the mix. But this is one hell of a mixture with the twin vocals combining gothic, progressive, and black metal which, when united, is a totally absorbing, haunting experience – but not to everybody’s taste I would imagine.

Without Face’s two vocalists are the semi-operatic style of Julie and the Peter Steele (Type O Negative), Fernando Ribeiro (Moonspell), & the Pasi Koskinen (Amorphis) combined vocals of Andras – each given enough room individually and enough time together to create a really moving vocal experience, especially with the lingering use of keyboards which are used lightly but perfectly. The instrument-like harmonising of the vocals adds another dimension to an already memorable album. The progressive breaks of Without Face are terrific but at times they literally rip Dream Theater off which makes the whole argument of “Without Face are progressive metal band” less pronounced because on many occasions all they seem to do is to copy what DT have already accomplished. Creative license stretched to the limits I would imagine although Without Face do manage plenty of time changes throughout with enough complexity, heaviness, and ambience to create a beautiful aural experience.

If there was criticisms to be levelled at Astronomicon it is the layering of the vocals and also the amount of guitars that have gone into the album which creates a sometimes muddled sound but the good far outweigh any negatives on an album that is full of highlights. An intriguing, worthwhile purchase that crosses genres like none before them.
 
Band:: Without Face
Album:: Astronomicon

MetalBite.com: http://www.metalbite.com/tracks.asp?album=2032

Lee Barret strikes again!

Lee Barret, founder of Candlelight Records and now Elitist Records (an imprint of Earache), has a knack for finding excellent bands. It’s either that or I’m predisposed to liking those bands that show a bit of uniqueness and creativity. Hungary’s Without Face is one of the bands that he’s signed to Elitist Records, and after getting down to the bottom of their Elitist debut “Astronomicon,” I must commend the man once again.

Without Face isn’t amazing, but honestly, they could be. Let me get out of the way what the problem is. Without Face has some amazing ideas all over this album, but there are a few shortcomings. The root of the problem is that Without Face manages to conjure up these mammoth, lengthy progressive songs, and then after that they realize that they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. The songs lose focus, direction, and power. If you’re absolutely not in the mood for something like this, getting into and through “Astronomicon” can be quite a challenge. At times I feel that Without Face try a little to hard to write their songs, making some of the ideas sound forced. That’s where most of the problems end for Without Face.

With those problems aside, Without Face is a very promising act. “Astronomicon” is six lengthy songs with a million excellent ideas. This is the kind of stuff that wraps itself around your head the minute you hear the first note of the song on those repeated listens. Best off all, Without Face’s ideas are actually creative. Sure, you may hear some influences from other progressive rock/metal bands, but nothing really sounds exactly like something else. Without Face has been able to carve a small niche of their own in the progressive field of music. Instrumentally Without Face doesn’t disappoint either. Each member is highly skilled, including the vocals, both male and female. While male vocalist András isn’t my first pick when it comes to clean singing vocalists, he’s competent enough. Female vocalist Julie does a more superb job, stealing the show from András. However, both of them manage to share the spotlight well, if not both utilizing it at times. Keyboardist/pianist Sasza also plays a large role in Without Face’s sound, both crafting the atmosphere and putting out some great melodies.

Bottom Line: With another album or two, I’d say Without Face could be a band that will be hard to top. “Astronomicon” already beats out most of the progressive music that came out this year, and Without Face show enough talent to acquire my confidence in them.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 7

Rating: 7.3 out of 10
 
Lollipop Magazine, USA

Without Face "Astronomicon" (Earache)

by Martin Popoff

There’s a whole undergrowth of these large, progressive Gothic co-ed bands from countries off the beaten path, but Hungary’s Without Face are one of the most resplendent and truly progressive rock, Maudlin Of The Well, Dan Swano, Opeth, and Mental Home – indeed every band on The End – coming to mind, as well as the obvious operatic pack configured with similar line-ups. Much of the male vocal presentation (Andras) is clear singing, the female (Juliette) – as expected – wispy and romantic, the two dueling it out over a traditional but complex musical track in which the drummer shines both performance-wise and tonally, not to be outdone by the band’s bevy of old school keyboard sounds. Very impressive, musical, listenable, and challenging of genre-boxing preconceptions. Rhythmically daunting, the album grounds itself nicely with lyrics inspired by various dark tales from classic literature: Poe, Lovecraft, Longfellow, etc.
 
Live Steel Magazine, French
"Wall Of Fames"

Since years now, it’s easy to find bands in which ones female singer are supported by virile voice in beauty and the beast style : Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Tristania etc… Numerous are new bands who just copy or plagiarize their elders with more or less talent. After telling you that WITHOUT FACE own (in a sense) this kinds of double vocals, you wonder why this CD is in our Wall Of Fames…
Musically all these bands play in Heavy, Death, Black tradition when it’s not cocktail of all styles, it’s with this point that we can find WITHOUT FACE originality. Of course in Astronomicon we can find some Heavy guitar riffs, sometime brutal, but most of songs show Prog Metal band in which one breaks, solo, tempo and others technical parts take the lion’s share to create atmosphere as oneiric than powerful. Julie’s voice, without being operatic, flirt with sensuality with Cristina Scabbia (LACUNA COIL) while Andras sing in more “classical” way, nothing guttural but baritone evolutive. Unlike LACUNA COIL, two voices of this great band sing generally same words in middle of profusion of technical parts, accompanied by keyboards of thousands tones, flute… All these elements are married in care of create atmospheres at the same time elegant and complex without breaking up listener in labyrinth of technical and useless demonstration. Production very suitable and wonderful CD cover made by Gyula Havancsák make of WITHOUT FACE an Hungarian band of the highest quality, wish that Astronomicon, their second album, will gave ‘em recognition they merit.

POM'
 
From www.dweebmetal.com

Without Face / Astronomicon – melodic progressive metal with female and male vocals. This is very heavy, melodic, crunchy, mostly upbeat progressive metal with prominent acoustic and electronic keys. The female vocals are soaring and beautiful, and this CD is filled with awesome male / female vocal harmonies, with occasional shouting male vocals. There are excellent catchy choruses and lightly progressive instrumentals with just a touch of Dream Theater. The song-writing is immensely stronger than their first CD, Deep Inside, and, unlike DI, the production on Astronomicon is superb.
http://www.withoutface.34sp.com/

8/10

and I assume that you've seen the Powerplay (UK) review from months ago, haven't you, Lee?
 
In The MEANTime fanzine: Without Face "Astronomicon"
"This is another CD not unlike the Rakoth CD reviewed on a previous page that caught me by surprise. Although not sounding even close to any of the extreme music I usually listen to, certain aspects of this CD caught my attention and may have even reached a certain soft spot deep within. Without Face formed in '97 in Hungary, combining male and female vocals with atmospheric gothic style metal. It reminds me of what fans of early and even late Paradise Lost would take a liking to. "Astronomicon" contains six tracks, five of which range between 7 and 9 minutes in duration. The use of duel male and female vocals is great, it sounds so haunting and choir-like. The music is as I described before, something like early and at times late Paradise Lost with a more atmospheric feel to it. It's technical metal with the use of pianos, organs and all that is gothic, but very flowing and harmonizing. There are tracks that rock with hints of great metal such as track three 'In The Garden'. This is the bands debut release out on Elitist (Earache Records) and like I said, it caught me by surprise. Certainly not a CD I would have purchased but the more I listen to it the more its style and sounds suffocate you and you can't help but enjoy its atmospheric feel...worth a listen."
 
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