Album Review: Enchantya – On Light And Wrath (Inverse Records)

Enchantya proudly present their new album “On Light and Wrath”, with a whole new band line-up, and featuring talented guests, such as brilliant violinist Gonçalo Fernandes, a choir of professional musical theatre singers and D E S I R E’ s frontman Corvus (Tear).

The next step in their melodic metal sound, “On Light and Wrath” is a musical essay about the two extremes of the human psyche and the struggle for balance within and outside the soul.

Singer Rute Fevereiro comments:

“The Beginning is a song about accepting and improving life the way it is and therefore, the first step is to get rid of toxic people who make you waste your energy on them. It’s a new start of life.”

The album will be released on May 24th 2019 via Inverse Records.

Opening with an intro (Turn of the Wheel) that reminded me of the famous Exorcist theme, the gothic power metal vibes are strong with this one. It’s an alright intro, nothing to get excited about…save that for Last Moon of March. A hell of a bombastic start, it’s gothic, symphonic, heavy, fast, powerful and gets the blood well and truly pumping.

Wow, the varied vocals…one based in blackness and the other operatic (ala Nightwish), the red-hot rhythm and guitar solo makes this a track everyone should check out.

It just gets better though with The Beginning, I can’t praise the vocals performance enough before Poet’s Tears goes above and beyond, downright tearful in just how uplifting a track it is. On the face of the first couple of tracks, Enchantya have released one of the best albums of the year by some distance.

It all feels so epic, from the guitar riffing, the speed of drumming, the thrum of the bass, the incredible vocals be them clean or heavy. I fell in love with this album immediately and it’s so good to see symphonic metal breaking down a lot of metal boundaries.

It seems near perfect, especially when even an intermission style track in the form of Alma sends chills through your body while also getting the tears flowing.

Unfortunately we do get the odd flat track though. Near Life Experience is forgettable and Hide Me’s folk violin use just doesn’t ignite into anything particularly interesting. Although the frantic pace is somewhat a bit different. It’s just not something I particularly care for.

Things get back on track for Once Upon A Lie though, the bombastic style that opened the record returning for a showcase of uplifting and fist-punching symphonic metal. Whereas From the Ashes sees Enchantya throw all their symphonic/power metal might into delivering a top finale.

Baring a handful of so-so tracks, we have here an incredible effort from Enchantya. One that shows imagination and bravery in regards to how it showcases heaviness and symphonic elements.

Enchantya – On Light and Wrath Full Track Listing:

1. Turn of The Wheel
2. Last Moon of March
3. The Beginning
4. Poet’s Tears
5. Near Life Experience
6. Alma
7. Downfall to Power
8. Hide Me
9. Deception (Since you Lied)
10. Once Upon a Lie
11. From the Ashes

The album can be ordered via Inverse Records here. Find out more about Enchantya on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.