Artist: Magica
Title: Dark Diary
Genre: Melodic Metal
Release Date: 28th May 2010
Label: AFM Records
Introduction
MAGICA is a female fronted melodic metal band from Romania. They began their musical endeavours in 2002, keeping a steady stream of full length albums and one live video performance up to this point. The band name was inspired by the heavy metal album by DIO (RIP) and reflects the style in hard riffing with excellent singing. The album themes have been mostly revolving around fantasy and ‘Dark Diary’ is no different. Fans of MAGICA should be very excited for some great metal to bring them to another world.
Detailed Album Review
01. Anywhere But Home (4:22)
Opens with a some speed metal riffs that offers plenty of melody with the keyboards sounding like a flute in the background. The guitars keep a chugging rhythm as the vocals come in; they aren't piercing or operatic but more mid ranged like Tarja Turunen formerly of NIGHTWISH or Cristina Scabbia of LACUNA COIL. The woman can certainly sing as tries to keep things manageable. The guitars rise and crash in trying to keep the melody going, like waves and the keyboard is always there for support. As expected of melodic metal, there has to be a crazy solo at the bridge of the song before refraining the chorus again. Drums are pretty standard as they beat away on the kit, offering plenty of support. A strong opener!
02. Tonight (3:32)
Offers a very moody keyboard opening before the guitars start hammering away. The keyboard is much more symphonic here and plays a very strong presence in the album with not only offering a classical haze across the rest of the instruments but some piano sounding moments as well. Vocals hold their notes a bit longer and still sound strong. The guitars keep chugging away until they break for a solo, but eventually turn back to the same chug for the rest of the song. A bit slower and more moody than the rest.
03. Never Like You (3:59)
Kicks things back into “heavy” gear. The guitars are very fierce in their melodic chord structure with the keyboard creating an electric loop of sounds every once in a while. When it comes to the vocals it sounds as if there's some male backing vocals included as well, some growled, some clean, creating a very interesting choir. They are meant to trail the main vocals; sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't because it mixes things up, obscuring the lyrics. When they can be understood, the lyrics are angry and match the aggressiveness of the music.
04. Wait for Me (4:18)
There's a sample of the ocean for a few seconds before the music comes in, and it is still heavy, but not as crushing or relentless. The guitars hammer away in sections instead of continuous chords, giving breathing space for the vocals to really shine. Every once in a while they'll break formation for a quick solo to keep the music from staying monotonous. The keyboards keep the mood up, but are hard to hear because of the guitars. There aren't any wild solos here, but at least the bass can be heard clearly for once. A strong mix of aggression and beautiful lyrics.
05. Need (4:00)
Instead of the standard, steady rhythmic chug, the song opens up with some sectioned riffs that pause every few seconds which really emphasizes the melody of the music. The entire track sounds more like a hard rock track rather than melodic metal, but it is one of the best songs on the album because it sounds a bit different from all the others which can tend to sound the same after a few listens. The keyboards pop in and out every once in a while instead of keeping their usual floating sound while the drums are nail drivers.
06. Release My Demons (4:08)
Similar format to the previous song, except there's a bit more varied vocal work. Instead of Ana's usual soaring voice, she offers some whispering which sounds a lot creepier and mystic than her singing ability. It certainly fits the mood of this dark track. It would have been awesome if the guitars had been a bit more varied; they tend to keep the same formula throughout the entire song along with the drums. The keyboards seem to be absent which really creates a strong hard rock or metal presence on the track.
07. On The Side Of Evil (4:21)
There's a sudden change in mood with this track. While the last two have been dark, ominous crunchers, the guitars are little more seamless in flow versus choppy. The result? A more uplifting, melodic metal track. There's some backing vocals included with the main vocals again, only this time it seems like only one person is singing. Both vocals offer a great contrast between male and female clean singing. The extreme solos are back with the music and everything sounds completely energetic again, just like MAGICA usually should.
08. My Kin My Enemy (4:05)
A strong operatic track in the way that Ana layers her vocals, while the guitars add their own layers of heaviness. This is one of the more quiet songs on the album as the guitars die off, offering some sporadic riffs while the drums quietly tap away and the keyboard offers a woozy electronic feel. However, true to MAGICA's style, their quiet songs never last long before the guitars smash their way back in and the music is back to mid paced chugger that crashes back and forth against one another. Fans will certainly be head banging to this one, especially during the melodic solo.
09. Used To Be An Angel (3:34)
While the title seems a bit cheesy, the lyrics perhaps lean towards the most “fantasy” based idea on the album: angels. While many of the other tracks can be related to more realistic things, MAGICA really show their fantasy inspirations here. The music is a mid paced rhythmic chugger but doesn't offer as many breakdowns or solos as the others. Everything is easy going and the keyboards offer a faint hum across the rest of the instruments. The guitar solo is about the only really heavy part of the song, everything else feels almost like a pop rock vibe.
10. We Are Horde (4:21)
Not a Vader cover, but another great melodic track. The guitars turn away from their chugging format and offer some more extreme string riffs that borderlines thrash. Basically this song combines everything that is good about MAGICA into one, offering crunching melody backed by keyboards, great guitar solos, and a mixture of main and backing, choir-like vocals. Definitely an embodiment of symphonic and melodic metal!
11. Dear Diary (1:42)
With this track, Ana really shows off her voice this time as all there is to accompany her is the keyboards. It's a very soft, romantic track that seems a bit out of place compared to MAGICA's usual hard and heavy standards, but it is definitely a great note to close on. The keyboards sound extremely classical and less prog influenced and really brings the idea of the dream world back home to reality. Short and sweet.
Line-up
Vocals - Ana Mladinovici
Guitar - Bogdan "Bãţ" Costea
Bass - Sorin Vlad
Keyboards - 6Fingers
Drums - Hertz
Website
http://www.magicaband.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/magicaband
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 7
Extras: -
Total: 7 / 10
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