Two years after Terra Incognito German outfit Coronatus present Recreation Carminis, their 5th studio album. On the first 3 albums Carmen R. Lorch née Schäfer was one of the singer, now she is back and Coronatus work with 3 female singers.
With Ouvertüre they kick off and the symphonic opening leads over to Towards Horizon, a complex symphonic tune with heavy riffs next to bombastic keyboards. A bit slower is In meinem Reich where the ladies can show their talent. Aria Keramati Noori melodic guitar play is supporting the atmosphere of the song as much as the riffs add heaviness. The Monk they combines symphonic metal with a dash folk to a complex opus which reminds a bit of Kamelot... The tune needs a few spins to develop it's full potential. Quite catchy is Schwester, a melancholy song which is easy to get into. A slow tune is Der Gesandte, another tune with a melancholy edge. Elisa (Eleven Swans) is a kind of interlude based on violin and leads you from Winterrosen to Sternenstaub. With Sternenstaub they speed up again, but also offer slow passages. An uplifting vivid tune is So Tanzt! which gets a folk-ish edge due to the violin. Fans of Fiddler's Green might fall for it. With the powerful Erhebt die Wogen! the regular edition ends, the digipack has two bonus tracks - Fernes Land and Sie stehen am Weg, both featuring Carmen R. Lorch. A nice treat for long time fans.
Recreatio Carminis needs a few more spins, it has some catchy moments, but due to the more complex sound it takes time to dive into and discover the details in the new Coronatus tunes. Give it time to grow!
This is digital-only release, so not aimed at Coronatus fans, it's for fans of female-fronted symphonic metal who want to discover the German band. The band had to face some line-up changes and as they picked songs from all albums, you get the chance to discover the different stages of Coronatus. Coronatus use different elements to create their own sound, but the main element the two different female voices are always present. With a rock voice and a opera-type of singer they have a lot to offer, additionally they used different languages - mainly English and German, but also some Latin words and who know's what they will present us in future?! Usually I'm not a big fan of soprano vocals and especially not if it's only used in opera-style, but I enjoy Coronatus a lot, because you not just get opera-style vocals. The different timbres of the ladies give it something special and make them differ from other bands.
I won't pick certain songs, check out the album reviews below. I can just recommend Coronatus to every fan of female-fronted symphonic metal! This is your chance to discover a great band!
Almost 2 years after the release of Fabula MagnaCoronatus is back with Terra Incognita. And a few things changed. Ada Flechtner is back and Mareike Makosch is her (new) counterpart, bassist Dirk Baur and keyboarder Simon Hassemer are the new guys completing the line-up.
They open up with the title track, a riff-based dark metal track with a catchy hook. Slowly they kick off and soon guitarist Aria Keramati Noori can show his skills, but don't expect technical frenzy. Then the girls join in and soon you'll start to sing along the refrain.
The following Saint Slayer has a guitar passage which is a bit sounding like old Metallica, but in combination with the soprano and the keyboard it gets a different flavor. Fernes Land they had choosen for the first video, a tune which is easy to get into and which brings back the German lyrics. Just take a look:
At Dead Mans Tale they add another flavor to their basic sound, this time they keyboard sounds like a spinet in the opening passage, a short reference to classic composers. Then they storm off into a heavy symphonic tune with operatic vocals and big choirs. Very cool.
I like the catchy Sie stehn' am Weg mainly for Mareike Makosch's vocals, but I don't want to minimize Ada Flechtner's performance. It's just that Mareike rocks this one and I can imagine this to be a highlight live. Very dramatic they kick off Vor der Schlacht with marching drums, then a break and they slowly lead you into the heavy tune. Expressive vocals and great interaction of the ladies. The song has a melancholy edge without being depressive, well done!
At Hateful Affection they remind me a bit of Lacuna Coil, just instead of growls you get operatic vocals. At Der Kleriker they change speed and atmosphere, I like the different elements, especially the Gregorian chant-like backings. An epic one is Das zweite Gesicht, this time medieval elements are more prominent, but combined with complex passages. With In Signo Crucis they present a riff-based rocker, don't get fooled by the opening passage! The contrast between the fast, heavy riffs and Mareike's vocals is awesome. But as usual Coronatus offer twists and turns. The medieval elements at the closer Traumzeit are beautiful, I have to confess that usually I'm not a fan of medieval sounds, but here it fits great. Hope to see Coronatus on tour again...
Fans of Gothic / symphonic metal should check out Coronatus, coz they try to offer something different and the two female voice work together superbly.
The German band Coronatus presents their 3rd album which is called Fabula Magna. Musically they stick to their guns, but again they had to face line-up changes. Singer Ada Flechtner is replaced by 19-years old Lisa Lasch; Ada left to focus on her studies. The new bassist is Todd Goldfinger from New York and they added Iranian guitarist Aria Keramati Noori to their ranks.
The kick off with Preface, a symphonic intro with male spoken words in Germany. The first song is Geisterkirche, a heavy symphonic metal track, guitar-driven and the classic soprano of Carmen Lorch accompanied by Lisa's rock vocals. Usually filed as a gothic metal, Coronatus are too progressive to fit that label. In my opinion it's symphonic metal with mediaeval sound elements and female vocals. Their songs are catchy and can hook you up soon, so it doesn't matter if their lyrics are German, English or Latin. At Thantalos - lyrically based on Greek mythology - they add some mediaeval sounds. Wolfstanz is a fast, heavy tune which even has some growls, but also some mediaeval rhythmic elements. The German septet isn't limiting themselves and so cross genre boarders frequently. And so far their experiement worked out well - e.g. Wolfstanz. The theme of the flying Dutchman isn't new, but the Coronatus' version seems to build a bridge between the classic piece and metal. At Kristallklares Wasser it's time for Lisa Lasch to show that she can keep up with her predecessors! Even if she shares vocal duties with Carmen, she can shine at this one.
One of my faves is How Far Would You Go, even if its based on the same sound elements it somehow stick out... At the heavy Der letzte Tanz a violin dominates the instrumental part and is first accompanied by Lisa's voice, then Carmen takes over and so they can create something unique. At Est Carmen they use Latin words which give the song something special. With Blind you get a ballad based on acoustic guitar and the voices of Lisa and Carmen, even if the others join in. Very cool!
The digipack has 2 bonus tracks, songs from the debut, but different versions and recorded with the new vocal duo.
Coronatus have a very unique style, they mix metal with symphonic elements, some mediaeval sounds, two very different singers and some surprises. There are parts which will remind you of Skyclad, others make you think of bands like Subway To Sally while there are vocal parts you usually find in female-fronted symphonic metal bands. Also the use of 3 language make them stick out. Perhaps this is too much for some metal fans, but it's entertaining and even if there are reminiscences to other acts, so Coronatus have a unique style! Well done!
Coronatus is a very interesting band from Germany. They have a profile that unites different aspects of modern music. The language is mainly German - and a little English - songs composed with massive power, heavy guitars and a drum section to give the needed basic rhythm. In the center stands the vocal line.
Coronatus concentrate the force around the opera-like penetrating voice of Carmen Lorch. She sings with the same control and quality as Tarja Turunen and Elisa C. Martin (known from Dark Moor and Dreamaker). To assist her is 19-year old newcomer Lisa Lasch, also a splendid vocalist previously to sing opera. Mika Jussila has done the mastering, and mixed this album, and the influence from Nightwish is clear to hear.
The big question to me is, if and how there can be a successful combination of two so great, great voices and metal songs. The building and flow of the songs does not give the full effect to achieve a successful CD. Even though there are great and beautiful duets between the two vocals the songs do not have enough power and quality of their own. That is a big pity, because it could really have been fantastic, but on this album they lack this. 12 songs where Coronatus mix fantasy, experimental and power metal sounds. Great indeed, but it is not the songs that you remember, it is the voices of Lisa Lasch and Carmen Lorch. Best songs are Geisterkirche, Tantalos, Est Carmen and How Far Would You Go?
The singing alone will get a mark of 10, but the total impression of the whole CD will only earn 7 stars.
Coronatus is a Gothic metal band which was founded in Southern Germany a few years ago. In 2007 their debut Lux Noctis was released, even if it didn't catch my attention. Anyway, now they are back with their second afford Porta Obscura. What makes them differ is that they work with 2 female singers, Carmen is singing soprano while Ada is adding the rock vocals.
The band kicks off with Prologue and then head into Exitus. With bombastic keyboards, heavy riffs and fast drumming the lead you into Exitus. The lyrics at this one are Latin and soprano Carmen dominates vocally, and surely some will find similarities to Nightwish. The sextet has also added a slower passage, but also mid-tempo ones. Slowly and with piano starts Fallen, but soon the band joins in with a heavy groove and a melodic guitar line. When Ada starts singing they are back to the opening theme, then Carmen joins in and the kick off heavily. This time they use German lyrics, here the two ladies are sharing vocal duties and it soon becomes crystal clear that it's the combination of the voices which makes Coronatus special. The following In Silence is riff-based and more rock due to Ada's vocals. I think the rock edge fits well and it doesn't matter which language they use - in this case German and English. A balladesque rocker with a sad note is Beauty In Black. With In Your Hands they present a ballad which starts with piano and strings. The beautiful voices of Carmen and Ada ennoble this tune! Let their voices carry you away. Then they explode into the heavy Mein Herz. A danceable dark song with a catchy refrain which makes you move and sing along. I guess live this one is killer. A dark metal hymn is Der vierte Reiter, this one also has some folk / medieval elements. Another facet they show at the closing track Strahlender Erster, it has the same sound elements, but differs. And that's the strong point of Coronatus, they offer a variety of sounds and with the ladies sharing vocal duties, they have much more possibilites. And they use them!
The limited edition has 2 bonus tracks, Flos Obscura is from their debut and overdone while Volles Leben is a track from their early days and shows them with male vocals. And shows the progress they made.
I can recommend this album to fans of dark metal with a symphonic touch and heavy guitars. Even the ones of you who try to avoid operatic vocals should check Coronatus out, coz with the two singers they offer more then just that!
