Beyond God: Dying To Feel Alive

Symphonic metal band Beyond God formed in 2008 by Ferry Guns in the Netherlands. Their debut A Moment Of Black was released in 2016 and one year later we have their sophomore effort Dying To Feel Alive released on Painted Bass Records.

This is my first exposure to the band’s music which is influenced by bands like Evanescence, Epica, After Forever…you get the idea. It’s very well crafted with superb melodies and musicianship from all involved. It’s not all heavy though as the band includes more atmospheric and mellower parts making the music rich in dynamics. The lead vocals of Meryl Foreman are truly sublime as she doesn’t overreach for the histrionics. Her voice is pure and tuneful and very much easy on the ears. Also of note is the use of orchestrations and choirs. These elements further enrich the sound adding the necessary bombast without increasing the cheese factor. The choir includes Anita van der Hoeven, Sammy de Grebber, Elsbeth Vissers-Valk, Meryl Foreman, Yuri Foreman and Ferry Guns. The vocals on this album are one of its greatest strengths which is a huge plus for me.

Some of the highlights include “Continuum� and “The Collector�, beginning the disc with great orchestrations, dramatic band interplay and excellent vocals. Probably the most heartfelt song is the balladic “All In All� featuring a beautiful vocal and piano. The two last tracks are also noteworthy. “Tangled� should be noted for its fantastic use of choirs while “This Inner Flight� features strong male and female vocals, tasteful use of keys and catchy guitar work.

Although this is hardly a ‘new’ sound put forth by Beyond God, what they do they do very well and I very much recommend this disc to anyone who appreciates any of the band’s mentioned above.

Track Listing:
1. Continuum (1:16)
2. The Collector (5:24)
3. No Other Way (4:08)
4. Helios (5:22)
5. When Lightning Strikes (4:00)
6. Shade and Light (4:25)
7. All In All (4:07)
8. Stronger (3:39)
9. Dying to Feel Alive (4:51)
10. Tangled (5:33)
11. This Inner Fight (6:27)

Added: November 19th 2018
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 751
Language: english

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