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Forsaken
"The band that I like to think of as DGM’s “darker half” blindsided me with a first-rate debut in 2014’s Risen, and its sophomore release follows hot on the heels of that ball of scorching black fire with a concept album concerning itself with the death of a woman to cancer, and grappling with the five stages of grief.
I’m no psychologist, and so I won’t attempt to comment on how well the band relates their lyrics to the Kübler-Ross model, but Forsaken is a potent emotional force. I was impressed with Francesco Corigliano’s vocals previously, but this time around, he’s offered a thematic opening to showcase the full array of his vocal faculties. “Denial” sees him move from a strong, clean lead tone to sharp-edged screams, and on down to harsh roars. Contrast this immediately with the silky smooth, gentle strains at the beginning of “When Everything Falls”, and even within these two tracks, you’ve got a complete vocal package that is more dynamic than 90% of all singers.
While I might not call Forsaken as out and out catchy as I found Risen, the band’s mission obviously goes a bit deeper here. Besides, it’s not like there’s a lack of catchy lines. Opener “Shock” is roughly what I would call a good example of Noveria’s overall sound: sinuous keyboard leads over thick, heavy rhythm guitar which transitions swiftly and often into scalding, skyrocketing leads and solos; sudden shifts in tonality during transitions; and slightly gritty, clean vocals frequently layered with gang shouts or harmonized background singing. This general approach is what characterized the majority of Risen, and Noveria forges ahead with its proven sound to deliver similarly hard-hitting tracks such as “If Only” and “Utopia” while “[W]hole” and “Regrets” provide some engaging midtempo atmosphere.
Forsaken is a slower, more deliberate album on the [w]hole than Risen, and I don’t feel that there any songs quite on par with the debut’s singularly memorable titular track or “Ashes”. Therefore, it’s predictable that I don’t enjoy it as much from end-to-end. However, Noveria has proven that it can tackle a powerful concept album without losing my attention, and play around successfully with musical elements while doing so. This is admirable and worthy of recognition, and despite my own preference for the debut, I would postulate that Forsaken will go a long ways in furthering the band’s fanbase. I hope these guys will turn out another, more consistently speedy corker next time, because it’s what I feel that they’re best at, but Forsaken is well worth any would-be fan’s purchase. This album will obviously appeal to those who enjoy DGM, but has a good chance of being appreciated by fans of proximal heavy prog like Evergrey, Illusion Suite, or Vanden Plas, despite obvious tempo and sound differences." - Black Wind Metal