Argentina's Auvernia came up with one of 2008's real surprises with their CD Towards Eternity, an exciting blend of symphonic black metal, power & progressive metal. They continue on with that style on their latest release Afraid of Me, an equally successful platter of music that remains true to the bands vision, even now as only founding members Fernando H. Varela (vocals/guitar/keyboards) and Juan P. Verni (drums/keyboards) remain.
This is a great mix of powerful orchestral power metal with symphonic black metal-think Rhapsody of Fire meets Dimmu Borgir and you have an idea of where Auvernia are coming from. Tunes such as "Meeting", "Throw Your Fear Away", and "Anguish" feature plenty of soaring keyboard orchestrations and speedy power metal riffs, providing the framework for Varela to display his many vocal styles, which include high pitched clean vocals, screams, and evil growls. Fans of progressive metal will love the intricate arrangements of many of these songs, especially "No Time For Time", "Self-Reflective Fear", "Out Of My Hands", "Your Own Universe", and especially "We Are Complete", all of which contain no shortage of complex guitar/keyboard passages and tight rhythms. The most important thing however is the band really display a keen sense of melody throughout each of these tracks, a key aspect which gives the songs an instantly memorable quality.
It's not everyday you hear about Argentina being a breeding ground for quality metal bands, but knowing how South American metal fans love their music, there's no reason to think that Auvenia can't make it big in their native homeland, as well as around the world. Let's hope that Fernando and Juan can once again fill out the line-up and take this band to the next level.
Track Listing
01. Meeting
02. Throw Your Fear Away
03. And So It Starts
04. Anguish
05. No Time For Time
06. Interludio Porteño
07. Self-Reflective Fear
08. Out Of My Hands
09. Your Own Universe
10. Ode To Life
11. Another Conscience
12. We Are Complete
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