| CD REVIEW Lyriel |
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Band : Lyriel Based in the North-Rhine/ Westfalia German town of Gummersbach, Sympho/ Folk/ Goth Metal act Lyriel was formed in 2003 in a line-up which remained unchanged until 2008. Core of the band back then were former Sorrowsend members Jessica Thierjung (lead vocals), her husband Oliver “Claymore” Thierjung (guitar/ backing vocals), and Dani de Beer (drums), but the latter eventually left the band...which is currently completed by cellist/ backing singer Linda Laukamp, violinist Joon Laukamp, keyboardist Martin Ahmann, bassist Tim Sonnenstuhl, and drummer Markus Fidorra (or at least, so I guess – read on!). To date, Lyriel has played support to such interesting bands as Elis, Korpiklaani, Rage, Schandmaul, Corvus Corax, Oomph, and Manfred Mann's Earth Band to name but a few. By the summer of 2004 the band had spread their area of influence far and beyond the usual beginning band's status, in fact over several countries, and this did not go unnoticed...with a signing to specialist label Black Bards Entertainment as a result. In early 2005 debut album Prisonworldarrived, a release promoted by a tour co-supporting Elis (other band was Visions Of Atlantis) on their tour in support of the Dark Clouds In A Perfect Sky album. In December of the same year Black Bards released the band's first DVD Live auf Burg Greifenstein 2005, and on top of all that Jessica got a guest role on Xandria's album India, singing along on the track “Like A Rose On The Grave Of Love”. In other words, things were definitely on the up for the band. Sophomore album Autumntales was released in September 2006, the album featuring a tasty bonus track with “My Favourite Dream”, featuring guest vocals from now former (she died) Elis singer Sabine Dünser. Autumntalesalso fulfilled the band's contract with Black Bards and, as mentioned above, 2008 saw the line-up changes. The two combined certainly justify the calmer period the band then went through. But in 2009 things changed for the better when the band signed to London based Femme Metal Records. The band's 2 first albums were re-issued as a box set in July, and the band quickly set to recording their third and stylistically defining album Paranoid Circus, which was released in January 2010 to positive reception from both press media and fans. In early 2011 the band signed to German label AFM Records, whose first job was to re-issue Paranoid Circus on a worldwide basis. Which brought the album to our attention, with plenty of pleasurable listening sessions as a first result! Pleasurable in the first place because of Jessica's voice, which is gentle, serene, and strong at the same time. Pleasurable in the second place because of the way the band subtly alters its musical components to shift from Folk-inspired Metal/ Rock to the same with Symphonic touches, and from Celtic Rock/ Metal to the same with Symphonic touches, occasionally inserting Gothic touches here and there as well! The cellist's backing vocals give the whole an additional female touch, and the contribution of voice actor Simon Jäger (he synchronizes the voices of the likes of Matt Damon and Heath Ledger into German) on the album opening track “Opening” and the track “The Wolf” (where he gives the track an introduction with an excerpt from the short story from hermann Hess by the same title) give the album somewhat of a conceptual touch (even if that was probably not the original intent). To give you an idea of their diversity, the band has posted 3 tracks off the new album, 2 off the second, and one of the debut at (www.) myspace.com/lyriel. This re-issue, by the way, comes with bonus material in the form of alternate versions of two of the album's tracks. And euh, about the line-up...although the one above is that mentioned on the band's facebook, the band's Wikipedia page claims Joos Laukamp to be a former member, and Sonnenstuhl ain't even mentioned. In their steads would now (without mention of their function) be Johannes Anand and Matthias Kirchler. 89/100 Tony. |