The beginnings of Ann my Guard go all the way back to 2007 when Hungarian singer Eszter Anna Baumann initially formed the band and released an EP titled Doll Metal. Their first full length release Innocence Descent was released in 2014 followed by Ourania in 2017. Their latest release titled Moira came out in 2018 and has finally made its way into my listening que.
This is a concept album exploring the afterlife, destiny and the underworld. Moira means fate in Greek and that leads to some pretty dark themes. The album artwork has a sinister underpinning as well.
Given the concept one would not expect ‘happy’ music and that’s exactly the deal here. The opening track “The Descent” consists of a short choral vocal highlighting the awesome voice of Baumann. This leads directly into the heavy metal gothic sounds of “Sacred I” beginning with the sound of a children’s toy before getting dark and heavy with just a bit of a sinister vibe lurking below the surface. The muted guitar riffs in “Mountain II” sound pretty cool along with some ripping shred and softly played guitar parts and the delicious riff in “Elijah” makes for some outstanding poppish metal. The gorgeous arpeggios and melancholic acoustic guitar in “Morpheus” ends the disc with a whole lot of catchiness. The vocal arrangement is equally as tasty. The end of the track features a classical segment of cello and flute which I thought to be pretty interesting.
Moira doesn’t really break any new ground but with songs this catchy and arrangements this strong there is lots to like here. An impressive album to say the least.
Released on Painted Bass Records.
Track Listing:
1. The Descent (0:40)
2. Sacred I (3:43)
3. Mountain II (5:48)
4. Elijah (4:32)
5. Roseblood (2:52)
6. Metéra (2:21)
7. Echo (4:51)
8. The Day I Die (4:09)
9. The Raven (5:01)
10. Morpheus (8:37)
Added: November 14th 2019 Reviewer:Jon Neudorf Score: Related Link:Band @ Bandcamp Hits: 905 Language: english
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