Venturia: The New Kingdom

Venturia brings an intriguing Duran Duran/Savage Garden element to progressive metal on The New Kingdom. Already huge (or so I'm told) in its home country of France, the band mixes musical precision with the playfulness of pop and the pretentiousness of prog for a listen unlike anything else that's currently flooding the marketplace.

New York-based vocalist Marc Ferreira (who released a hard-to-find hard-rock album in 2002 under the name Ferreira) brings a Simon LeBon vibe to his delivery, and when he's joined on some tracks by the non-operatic but smart-and-sexy-girl-next-door vocals of Lydie Robin, the harmonious effect is intoxicating – so much so that the six-minute instrumental, "Candle of Hope Through A Night of Fears," is a big black hole in an otherwise well-paced record.

Lyrically, Venturia ventures far from the pop world with songs like "The Unholy One" and "Dear Dead Bride." But it is the uplifting "Walk on To the Daylight" – a mid-paced, bouncy acoustic number featuring both Ferreira and Robin – that best represents this band's potential. File under "very promising" and hope that Venturia isn't just a one-off project.

Track Listing:
1) New Kingdom
2) The Unholy One
3) Words of Silence
4) Take Me Down
5) Fallen World (Is There A Reason?)
6) Walk on To the Daylight
7) Candle of Hope Through A Night of Fears
8) Dear Dead Bride

Added: July 17th 2006
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Venturia Web Site
Hits: 4744
Language: english

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