I wasn't familiar with Todesbonden. As an unknown, they were a band I was, at best, ambivalent about seeing.
That was then. This is now: They are the band I am most looking forward to seeing at FotV 2009.
Why? Their album Sleep Now Quiet Forest absolutely, totally blows me away. I've listened to every album from every band booked to this year's female-fronted metal fest. I load up my 5-CD changer and push Play, listening to albums rotate through. Although every band is superb, and I can't wait to see every single one of them, without fail, the album that grabs me from the opening track and never lets go is Sleep Now Quiet Forest by Todesbonden.
Mezzo-soprano Laurie Ann Haus reminds me of a cross between Epica's Simone Simons and Renaissance's Annie Haslam. While Laurie doesn't have the range of either vocalist, there's something haunting about her pretty voice that, combined with the stunning music, creates an atmosphere much like that of a Renaissance album.
Another difference between Laurie's band and the aforementioned is the use of Middle Eastern themes and rhythms. Case in point: "Surya Namaskara," which is track two. This track mixes strains of Celtic, Middle Eastern, and classical music in a way that I've never heard before to create something mesmerizing.
"Trianon" (track three) melds piano, violin, and crunchy guitar riffs -- plus Laurie's soaring soprano -- to create a thing of beauty.
The sticker on the front of the album says "For fans of Therion and Dead Can Dance." However, I don't hear much Therion in Todesbonden. I hear Renaissance with cranked-up guitars. I think it's keyboardist James Lamb's sweeping piano runs and the gentle instrumental breaks that harken to Renaissance's must-own album Live at Carnegie Hall.
Again, Laurie's voice is not like Annie's. No one's is. But the total effect, for me, is to create a magic I haven't heard since Renaissance, which is -- hands down -- my favorite female-fronted band of all time.
I'm not sure there's a lot of Dead Can Dance in Todesbonden, either. But, between the two choices, I think Todesbonden leans more toward Dead than Therion.
"Aengus Og Fiddle" (track four) is achingly beautiful. The opening acoustic guitar and violin passage, alone, tugs at my heart strings. But when Laurie begins to sing, I'm really transported. On an album full of gems, this one may be the most glittering.
"Fading Empire" (track five) begins with a violin and then adds instruments and Laurie's voice in an almost Kansas-like way. I think it's the violins, one of my favorite instruments in rock and metal. The juxtaposition of the fragility and poignancy of a violin against crunchy guitar riffs is powerful indeed.
I could go on and on. Track eight ("Sailing Alone") brings to mind an After Forever composition from one of their most recent albums. The tempo isn't as driving as an After Forever song. But the tone of the guitars and Laurie's voice combine in such a way that it recalls Floor Jansen in the now-defunct After Forever.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the title track ("Sleep Now Quiet Forest," track 11), a gently flowing, beautifully arranged but-over-much-too-soon masterpiece of musicianship and haunting melody.
I love hard rock and metal. I'm a sucker for killer riffs, buxom babes with lots of attitude, and hook-heavy songsmithing. But I am always impressed with a band that can reach into my soul and capture my emotions. There's a time and place for both kinds of music. But more often than not I return to a band that tugs at my heartstrings more than one that kicks my ass.
Everything about the new Todesbonden album is first-rate, from the heavy-gauge paper booklet to the easy-to-read lyrics, to the maiden-in-a-field-of-gold cover image.
The effect listening to Todesbonden has on me is to transport me to another world, a different place and time, a land of faeries and magic, of earth and wood, of kings and queens. This music haunts, and engages both my heart and my mind.
If Todesbonden brings to the live stage the magic of their recorded music they will mesmerize their audience and create passionate fans for life.
That's what I think of Todesbonden. What are your thoughts? What do you like/dislike about their album Sleep Now Quiet Forest? What thoughts or images spring to your mind when you listen to their album?
That was then. This is now: They are the band I am most looking forward to seeing at FotV 2009.
Why? Their album Sleep Now Quiet Forest absolutely, totally blows me away. I've listened to every album from every band booked to this year's female-fronted metal fest. I load up my 5-CD changer and push Play, listening to albums rotate through. Although every band is superb, and I can't wait to see every single one of them, without fail, the album that grabs me from the opening track and never lets go is Sleep Now Quiet Forest by Todesbonden.
Mezzo-soprano Laurie Ann Haus reminds me of a cross between Epica's Simone Simons and Renaissance's Annie Haslam. While Laurie doesn't have the range of either vocalist, there's something haunting about her pretty voice that, combined with the stunning music, creates an atmosphere much like that of a Renaissance album.
Another difference between Laurie's band and the aforementioned is the use of Middle Eastern themes and rhythms. Case in point: "Surya Namaskara," which is track two. This track mixes strains of Celtic, Middle Eastern, and classical music in a way that I've never heard before to create something mesmerizing.
"Trianon" (track three) melds piano, violin, and crunchy guitar riffs -- plus Laurie's soaring soprano -- to create a thing of beauty.
The sticker on the front of the album says "For fans of Therion and Dead Can Dance." However, I don't hear much Therion in Todesbonden. I hear Renaissance with cranked-up guitars. I think it's keyboardist James Lamb's sweeping piano runs and the gentle instrumental breaks that harken to Renaissance's must-own album Live at Carnegie Hall.
Again, Laurie's voice is not like Annie's. No one's is. But the total effect, for me, is to create a magic I haven't heard since Renaissance, which is -- hands down -- my favorite female-fronted band of all time.
I'm not sure there's a lot of Dead Can Dance in Todesbonden, either. But, between the two choices, I think Todesbonden leans more toward Dead than Therion.
"Aengus Og Fiddle" (track four) is achingly beautiful. The opening acoustic guitar and violin passage, alone, tugs at my heart strings. But when Laurie begins to sing, I'm really transported. On an album full of gems, this one may be the most glittering.
"Fading Empire" (track five) begins with a violin and then adds instruments and Laurie's voice in an almost Kansas-like way. I think it's the violins, one of my favorite instruments in rock and metal. The juxtaposition of the fragility and poignancy of a violin against crunchy guitar riffs is powerful indeed.
I could go on and on. Track eight ("Sailing Alone") brings to mind an After Forever composition from one of their most recent albums. The tempo isn't as driving as an After Forever song. But the tone of the guitars and Laurie's voice combine in such a way that it recalls Floor Jansen in the now-defunct After Forever.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the title track ("Sleep Now Quiet Forest," track 11), a gently flowing, beautifully arranged but-over-much-too-soon masterpiece of musicianship and haunting melody.
I love hard rock and metal. I'm a sucker for killer riffs, buxom babes with lots of attitude, and hook-heavy songsmithing. But I am always impressed with a band that can reach into my soul and capture my emotions. There's a time and place for both kinds of music. But more often than not I return to a band that tugs at my heartstrings more than one that kicks my ass.
Everything about the new Todesbonden album is first-rate, from the heavy-gauge paper booklet to the easy-to-read lyrics, to the maiden-in-a-field-of-gold cover image.
The effect listening to Todesbonden has on me is to transport me to another world, a different place and time, a land of faeries and magic, of earth and wood, of kings and queens. This music haunts, and engages both my heart and my mind.
If Todesbonden brings to the live stage the magic of their recorded music they will mesmerize their audience and create passionate fans for life.
That's what I think of Todesbonden. What are your thoughts? What do you like/dislike about their album Sleep Now Quiet Forest? What thoughts or images spring to your mind when you listen to their album?
