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White Crow

White Crow

BY La Ventura

(Customer Reviews)
$17.00
$ 10.20
SKU: RAV1056
Label:
Ravenheart Music
Category:
Gothic Metal
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"If La-Ventura hadn’t named their second full-length album White Crow, the word "testament" would have been a fitting alternative. That’s because it’s been almost 5 years since the Dutch melodic metal quartet released their critically acclaimed debut album A New Beginning. Sure, they released an EP between then and now, but La-Ventura have kept a low profile while working on their new material. Their online presence all but vanished – usually a fatal sign in this age of constant updates via Facebook and social media – and many international fans, including myself, wondered whether the band had split up. Thus, the fact that La-Ventura are still around is welcome news. And hearing the pulse of their music again on White Crow is like visiting an old friend who’s changed a bit since you two last met.

What do I mean by "changed"? Well, White Crow presents a major shift in La-Ventura’s music. Instead of continuing the moody, gothic-like atmospheres of A New Beginning, the band focuses on guitars and vocals. (This may be because La-Ventura never replaced keyboardist Marco van Boven after he left the band.) So, on White Crow we hear more of Sasha Kondic’s nu-metal-esque riffs and the rhythm section’s throbbing and grooving, while keyboards highlight only certain moments on a few tracks. The production and mix quality have improved dramatically since A New Beginning, perhaps because La-Ventura opted not to self-produce the new record. This time, they worked with producer Didier Chesneau (Headline, Asylum Pyre) and mastering engineering Bruno Gruel (Septic Flesh, Asylum Pyre). The result is a sharper, thicker sound that augments the guitarwork and pushes the keyboards further into the background. Most of the melody on White Crow, therefore, comes from singer Carla (Douw) van Huizen. She thrives on the band’s intensity, and her mature voice and melancholy tones suit the new sound just as well as they fit La-Ventura’s earlier style.

La-Ventura’s evolution is apparent as soon as White Crow begins. Kick-off track "Falling Down" is easily one of the band’s grittiest songs to date, with Kondic’s riff-ripping and new drummer Renzo van Poecke stabbing at the slow tempo. Van Huizen’s powerful chorus and the closing sonic eruption turn this track into an instant La-Ventura classic. "Human Vanity" takes a similar path but is more uptempo and contains one of the album’s best sing-along refrains ("You and I, we need / Something that’s compatible / Something that’s real"). La-Ventura, however, save their most searing arrangements and starkest contrasts for "Song For An Idiot." All of the band’s elements converge to portray the anger, frustration, and despair in van Huizen’s lyrics. "Time and Time Again," "Neverending Story," and "The Only One" also show how La-Ventura’s music has ripened.

A few tracks on White Crow hearken back to the days of A New Beginning. The title track begins with a delicate piano / synthesizer intro before the full band comes crashing in. "Drowning," on the other hand, uses keyboards throughout as well as off-beat drumming and a cascading, mystical synth line. Van Huizen uses the full breadth of her range here, enhancing the lyrics’ anguish. The one song on White Crow that brings together the old and new of La-Ventura is "Close To You." The main guitar hook has a loose, alternative metal feel, and synths peek their way through on the verses and final bridge. Then the song ends with van Huizen crying out over bursting guitars and a shrieking last-second solo – a bold move La-Ventura didn’t dare to take on A New Beginning.

For the most part, La-Ventura have taken the right steps forward on White Crow. Listen to both of their albums back to back and you’ll notice the difference, especially in the quality of the sound mix. The keyboards and treble dominated on A New Beginning and oversaturated the music, whereas White Crow’s concentration on metal and melody feels more natural and gives the listener a better idea of how La-Ventura may sound live. In the end, though, I still prefer A New Beginning over White Crow. Tracks like "Trefoil," "Only Love Will Find Its Way," and "Memoria" from the former album aren’t just well-written and memorable. They also drip with emotion and earnestness that the listener can feel. That extra touch is often what separates a great song from a good song. And unfortunately, the strongest tracks on White Crow don’t breach that difference, despite how catchy or tight they may be.

Still, White Crow is a solid release and one that La-Ventura fans should be pleased with. It retains enough of the familiar melodic focus from A New Beginning, particularly van Huizen’s ardent vocals, while adding more musical crunch and distortion. And although White Crow may not move listeners the way that A New Beginning did, the passion we originally heard from La-Ventura still runs through the music’s veins. Of course, the passion has manifested itself in a different manner this time. But that quality is essential is making good music in any genre. And with White Crow, one of The Netherlands’ most promising female-fronted bands gives us another full-bodied dose of it." - Sonic Cathedral

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  • " Living Madness, available everywhere June 16, is VANGOUGH's crowd-funded live CD that was recorded while on tour with Pain of Salvation last fall. Topping just over 40 minutes with seven tracks; Living Madness is a testament to VANGOUGH's unhinged and dominating live performances, which touched down in such cities as New York City, Toronto, Seattle and San Diego among others.Taking a cue from their 2013 album Between the Madness, VANGOUGH have upped the ante in terms of ferocity as is displayed here on their live release. Featuring tracks from across the band's career, including a medley from 2009's debut Manikin Parade, fans will be very pleased to hear their favorite tracks in a new way. "Seeing as this was our very first tour, we wanted to capture all the raw energy and emotion you'd expect from a first-time touring act."Recorded by guest guitarist Cameron Conyer, Living Madness was then mixed back in Dallas by long-time collaborator and producer Sterling Winfield. "I love working with Sterling and always trust him to produce a killer mix." The band also connected with famed album artist Travis Smith for the cover. "We felt like it was time to further shift the artwork into a more brooding and disturbing direction as is befitting of where we're headed. Travis' vision fit perfectly with ours.""Most importantly, this album was made possible by our amazing fans who backed us via our Kickstarter campaign. We are truly humbled by their show of support and hope that this album is a reflection of how hard we work to bring you the very best that VANGOUGH has to offer.""
    $10.00
  • "In the mighty and fertile cold lands of Sweden in the early 2000, Markus Sigfridsson, a skilled young guitar player, with his best friend, Tobias Enbert behind the drum kit, created HARMONY, a Christian Power Metal band influenced by the great Scandinavian Neo-Classic tradition updated with a strong Melodic Prog-Metal tendency…The perfectly named HARMONY, is an ambitious group that was immediately warmly acclaimed by our community, a general positive consensus that occured right after the succesful release of their debut album, “Dreaming Awake”, in 2003, an impression that was even reinforced by its solid sucessor, "Chapter II: Aftermath", published in 2008.In late November 2014, it was the next crucial step in their career, their third offering, "Theatre of Redemption", was available. The big announcement was that it featured in the Lead Vocal role, one of the most reputed Metal singer from Sweden, the one and only LOST HORIZON’s former Daniel Heiman, who provides, as expected, a superb performance; very impressive in every section, displaying an amazing range and an outstanding emotional imperssonated feeling, and I had the privilege to review it with a good rating of 9 in result…"Theatre of Redemption" finally ends up really high, in my famous top list for 2014…They also encountered some kind of achievement with DARKWATER as a side-project; the duet of musicians is still very active and full of ressources!On May 22nd in Europe, and on May 26th in North America, the Swedish melodic Power Metal band HARMONY, will release a new work in EP format, entitled “Remembrance”…Once again published through Ulterium Records will features the legendary vocalist Daniel Heiman (ex LOST HORIZON/ex HEED/ now frontman for LAVETT) on vocals. This six track EP includes four re-recorded songs from the HARMONY's debut album, “Dreaming Awake”, as well as two brand-new songs.Of course, “Eternity”, “Dreaming Awake”, “Without You” or “She” are the reworked tracks; the running order is still the same, keeping the original successivity, while at the final slots, the songs ”In His Heart” and ”Feed My Hunger” are the newest compositions; you can count on the ultra precise sonic rendition in the purest Swedish Tradition as, like “Theatre of Redemption, “Remembrance" was mixed by the same glorious team at Studio Fredman (DREAM EVIL/HAMMERFALL/IN FLAMES).Although a little short, "Remembrance" is fully packed with the best exemples of "how Modern Power Metal has evolved" with orchestrated arrangments, a few ballads, sporadic acoustic elements and more subtle, understated interludes (“Without You”) and something sounding quite parallel to Progressive Rock (“She”), the whole is clearly well played and superbly produced with with a huge dynamic range .The epic side and the Metal straightness is still present, strategically added, giving a more accessible feel to the listener with song like the opening cut, “Eternity”.If the style of the early album is respected, obviously the new found technically and proficient focus has given another color to this EP, a challenging method crafted under a even more epic flavor, the title track and “She” were two of my favorites in their “Dreaming Awake”. Now maybe in concurrence with the quality of the recently added tracks, like the infectious chorus within ”In His Heart” and its numerous layers of harmonized vocals, or ”Feed My Hunger”…The second being the most emblematic; it fit into the existing stylistic musical realms and show the more Melodic way forward for what could be the band's future, with a sophisticated Eastern/Oriental chord-structures mixed with the refreshing harmonic excellence!Another warning coming from the North…Will you remember?" - Metal Temple
    $10.00