- Apr 5, 2003
- 2,668
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To-Mera - Transcendental
Candlelight Records - CD CDL169 - 10/03/06
By Brandon Strader
It brings a tear to my eye to be able to introduce To-Mera and their first album, Transcendental! The band hasn't been around for that long, forming and releasing a demo in 2005. The two tracks that appeared on the demo are featured on this full-length, so you will be experiencing the whole deal if you pick this one up, and you probably should. One of the biggest draws to this band - if not the hot female vocalist and comparisons to Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Tristania, The Gathering, and Within Temptation - is the incredible musical proficiency and songwriting skill, from the Indian-type vocal and guitar performances of "Traces" to the jazz-influenced passages of, well, pretty much any other track. This is a band that doesn't hold back and is constantly displaying their talents. Also noteworthy is bassist Lee Barret's connection with Candlelight Records and his responsibility for signing Opeth and others, including those (like Forest Stream) on Elitest, his now defunct branch of Earache Records. Obviously this guy's got a good appreciation for good metal!
This may possibly be one of the most surprising debut albums of the year if you consider the musical skills from these people who are basically nobodies with no apparent ties to working in other bands. To-Mera really isn't that similar to the bands they have been compared to, only on the surface. Female vocalist Julie Kiss' vocals are a bit too soft and not as powerful as the music may demand, causing what has been referred to several times as the "wimpy girl effect" with such bands as Within Temptation and others. There's good imagery with that phrase, is their not? Still, Kiss has enough vocal strength to remove the imagery of her cuddled in a corner in fear from your mind. Indeed, there seems to be a very delicate balance that is pretty hit or miss at times. Every song is great, but for the sake of review, some of the more special moments of Transcendental include the cool piano and chorus of "Blood", the second half of "Phantoms" that sounds utterly epic with it's mellow section followed by the fast, heavy thrashing and massive keyboards! The orchestra on "Born of Ashes" sounds pretty convincing, in fact it may be real. The classical piano arrangement and performances on "Parfum" are incredible.
I'd love to continue mentioning the "special moments" of this album, but there are just too many. What I've stated barely scratches the surface, so this is definitely an album you will have to check out. You'll be enjoying it from each crushingly heavy riff to the angelic vocals, break-neck guitar solos, and beyond! Possibly the only downfall is when songs will end their rampage or even stop suddenly when they could easily be extended a good bit, like the ending of "Born Of Ashes" stops suddenly and moves into a different ending. I don't know whether it was a mistake or intentional, but it's kind of weird.
9/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official To-Mera Website
Official Candlelight USA Website
Candlelight Records - CD CDL169 - 10/03/06
By Brandon Strader
It brings a tear to my eye to be able to introduce To-Mera and their first album, Transcendental! The band hasn't been around for that long, forming and releasing a demo in 2005. The two tracks that appeared on the demo are featured on this full-length, so you will be experiencing the whole deal if you pick this one up, and you probably should. One of the biggest draws to this band - if not the hot female vocalist and comparisons to Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Tristania, The Gathering, and Within Temptation - is the incredible musical proficiency and songwriting skill, from the Indian-type vocal and guitar performances of "Traces" to the jazz-influenced passages of, well, pretty much any other track. This is a band that doesn't hold back and is constantly displaying their talents. Also noteworthy is bassist Lee Barret's connection with Candlelight Records and his responsibility for signing Opeth and others, including those (like Forest Stream) on Elitest, his now defunct branch of Earache Records. Obviously this guy's got a good appreciation for good metal!
This may possibly be one of the most surprising debut albums of the year if you consider the musical skills from these people who are basically nobodies with no apparent ties to working in other bands. To-Mera really isn't that similar to the bands they have been compared to, only on the surface. Female vocalist Julie Kiss' vocals are a bit too soft and not as powerful as the music may demand, causing what has been referred to several times as the "wimpy girl effect" with such bands as Within Temptation and others. There's good imagery with that phrase, is their not? Still, Kiss has enough vocal strength to remove the imagery of her cuddled in a corner in fear from your mind. Indeed, there seems to be a very delicate balance that is pretty hit or miss at times. Every song is great, but for the sake of review, some of the more special moments of Transcendental include the cool piano and chorus of "Blood", the second half of "Phantoms" that sounds utterly epic with it's mellow section followed by the fast, heavy thrashing and massive keyboards! The orchestra on "Born of Ashes" sounds pretty convincing, in fact it may be real. The classical piano arrangement and performances on "Parfum" are incredible.
I'd love to continue mentioning the "special moments" of this album, but there are just too many. What I've stated barely scratches the surface, so this is definitely an album you will have to check out. You'll be enjoying it from each crushingly heavy riff to the angelic vocals, break-neck guitar solos, and beyond! Possibly the only downfall is when songs will end their rampage or even stop suddenly when they could easily be extended a good bit, like the ending of "Born Of Ashes" stops suddenly and moves into a different ending. I don't know whether it was a mistake or intentional, but it's kind of weird.
9/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official To-Mera Website
Official Candlelight USA Website
