Brutiful_ViXn
Reign In Metal
Zodiac :  Metal Reputation : 88
Join date : 2012-01-05
Location : Vacationing in Hell
 | |  Godyva - Alien Heart (2013) Album Review | |
Godyva – Alien Heart (2013)
Southern Brigade Records/Scarlet Records - Running Time 55:24
Godyva are another in the seemingly unending list of gothic/symphonic, female –fronted metal bands that permeate the current scene, but... they have been around since 2000 and ‘Alien Heart’ is their third full length album so I suppose you could call them almost a veteran band in this genre. However, it is five long years since they released sophomore album ‘Planetarium’, and in that time the music industry has seen a huge influx of similar groups, ‘jumping on the bandwagon’, so do Godyva really have what it takes to stand out from the crowd?
Initially, what you will notice is that they veer towards the more gothic end of the genre. I am not a huge fan of gothic metal but you do have to admire a band that does it well and Godyva manage a sense of passion and emotion (being Italian has its advantages) that is very pleasant on the ear. I also do have to praise vocalist ‘Lady Godyva’. Having recently reviewed another album in this genre, where the singing was akin to a frightened cat, it is a pleasure to report that this female has a fine voice. Powerful one minute, almost wistful the next, she covers all the bases and thankfully does it in tune! Another huge plus are the keyboard skills of ‘Botys Beezart’ whose melodies really add to the grandeur of the songs but also compliment the singing. Guitarist ‘G.G. Gohm’ has a nice meaty sound and fills the gaps with some pretty catchy riffs and the rhythm section of bassist ‘Nick Barah’ and drummer ‘Enyo’ are solid and tight providing just the right amount of flair without being flashy. Godyva manage to come up with enough quality choruses to have you humming along pretty quickly, the title track being a perfect example. Production is good and quite bass driven which gives a lovely rumble to proceedings and it all flows very nicely. Not everything personally hits the mark though! A couple of songs ‘Everything Is Over’ and ‘This Light’ I find too poppy and electronic, although I’m sure fans of this style of music will lap them up.
Gothic Metal sticks to a template, so you pretty much know what you’re going to get. It might not be terribly original anymore, but, then again, what is? Godyva do it with quite a bit of style and if you love early Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil or you have a soft spot for Nightwish or Theatres des Vampires then you will love ‘Alien Heart’
http://www.godyva.it/
https://www.facebook.com/godyva.band
http://www.southernbrigade.com/
http://www.scarletrecords.it/
Review written exclusively for Brutiful Entertainment by Rick Tilley: https://www.facebook.com/richard.tilley.351
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