| CD REVIEW Lunatica |
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Band: Lunatica Having released their three first albums (2001’s Atlantis, 2004’s Fables & Dreams, and 2006’s The Edge Of Eternity – the latter reviewed by myself and posted 19/09 of that year, so I know that’s where you can find info on the band’s antecedents prior to that date) on Italian quality Melodic Rock and AOR label Frontiers, Swiss based Symphonic Rock/Metal sextet Lunatica now find themselves issuing their fourth album through Austrian label Napalm Records! Live work in promotion of The Edge Of Eternity album was scarce at first, but there wàs some recording for Swiss television in November. The album shot into the Swiss LP charts to #78, the first chart notation for the band. In Japan the album matched the band’s previous success, The Edge Of Infinity making it to #8 in the HMV charts. A single for the catchy “Who You Are” received massive push from Swiss radio stations. 2007 saw the band do some supports to Krokus and Shakra (a short series in the Fall) and participate to some festivals, but never outside the home country (probably the band wanted to keep promotion concentrated on home turf). Unable to combine personal problems with the band, longtime guitarist Andy Leuenberger eventually left during the songwriting process of the new album. His replacement was quite an obvious one, as guitarist Marc Toretti already did backing vocals on the songs “Between Love And Hate” and “The Spell” off the two first albums, and had already been Andy’s stand-in on a couple of live occasions. Soon after, the band signed to Napalm. The new album is very much a continuation of what the band did before! In the good old tradition of never changing a winning team, the production was again done by Sascha Paeth and Miro. The band also invited former Asia singer/ bassist John Payne to return for a new duet ballad (“Farewell My Love”) with Andrea. They also (again) cooperated with an outside songwriter to add on an exclusive song (stupidly enough the info sheet leaves out which song that is), this time Hollywood soundtrack composer Michael Levine. Well, I don’t know what exactly made the album come out slightly better than the previous one in my personal opinion. Is it a natural growth process the band had to go through in their songwriting, is it the new (lead) guitarist’s contribution to that songwriting and/or recording? Fact is that the Lunatica’s music grows on one with each listening session, and by giving the album extra time to listen to what it had to offer, I found out the band made an honest effort to bring in some more variety [extra ballads “Heart Of A Lion” (with Andrea goin solo) and album closing “How Did It Come To This” (a semi-ballad that, with more energetic chorus passages), a couple of songs that are overall heavier & groovier, changing moods & paces elsewhere) in their material! You’ve got your songs where Andrea gets an obvious male backing, others where she herself brings something different to the fore! On that note I would like to bring the song “Winds Of Heaven” under the attention of the reader & possible listener…where Andrea starts off the song in a broken-voiced melancholic mood, picking up strength as the song moves towards a more uplifting mood (shards of Queen-like guitar work there)! You can listen to a full-length version of “The Chosen Ones” and 2-minute samples of “Two Dreamers” and “How Did It Come To This” at myspace.com/lunaticametal (to listen to older music, I can really advise you to surf to the band’s own website lunatica.ch, where you can listen to almost every song off the two previous albums)…although that won’t really give you a good idea of the evolution the band went through! Nah, to get a good idea of thàt, you need to a repeat listen of the complete album (remember I said it’s an album that’ll grow on you…which also means you need to listen to it a couple of times in order to have it sink in on you as well, see?)! The only gigs the band has lined up for the moment, are again in Switzerland, so I guess you’ll have keep checking our regularly updated tour calendar to see if the band will be coming your way in the future (people living outside the BeNeLux better check the band’s contact addresses). 86/100 Tony. |