Fantastic!
Fusion is an apt title indeed for the first full length from French singer Eilera and crew - filled with haunting electronics, captivating vocals, a few well placed strings and some thundering metal rhythms - it really is a strange synthesis. That being said, for the most part everything works amicably well together, sending listeners on an enjoyable outing that clocks in at just over fifty minutes.
Perhaps the biggest drawcard of the album comes in the form of Eilera’s stunningly emotive, Celtic-esque vocal lines and melodies. Not only do they give Fusion a presence and style all of its own, by they also succeed in enhancing many of Eilera’s lyrics (something that many singers seem utterly incapable of doing). However, while Eilera’s vocals are thoroughly enjoyable for the most part (check out Healing Process & The Angel You Love… The Angel You Hate for fine examples of vocal dexterity, presence and captivation) occasionally they can be slightly outmatched by the band – particularly in some of the heavier sections on tracks like Free… Are You? and Addicted. In the end though, Kudos to Cristina Scabbia, Sharon den Adel & Amy Lee, but it’s nice to hear something a little different every once in awhile.
Getting back to the band, Fusion isn’t just some four-piece outfit, you’ve got a double bassist, cellists, violinists, a guitarist, standard bassist, a drummer, programmers and fiddle players – it’s almost like a little mini orchestra – and boy, do they know how to play! Standouts include the rousing violin of Airola, Lehto, Lehtonen and Hirschowitsch, the perfectly placed fiddle of Canton and McCamy and the lilting melodies of guitarist Loic Tezenas.
Compositionally things are pretty killer – Keep Our Heaven and September are both particularly good at showcasing how well the list of musical components mentioned earlier work together – with everything feeling as though it has its own rightful place within the music. There’s no ‘electronic filler’ or ‘fiddle thrown in just because’ here, it’s all very solid and very necessary for helping to create Fusion’s musical portrait - And a fantastic one it is at that.
Ultimately, when you put all the pieces together, Fusion is a fantastically enjoyable album that not only adds something very special to the female fronted progressive metal genre, but also shows how far the boundaries of that particular genre can be shaped and moulded to produce something that is neither tired nor stale, but wholly original in its own right.
(Spikefarm Records/Riot! Entertainment)
