Album: Selene, 'The Ravages of Time'


Selene are a Northern Irish symphonic power metal band; to the best of my knowledge, they’re the only act filling this niche on the Emerald Isle. Making waves in Ireland and the UK, they’re proving themselves worthy of a place on the more populous European symphonic scene. ‘The Ravages of Time’ (out June 23rd) is the band’s second full-length offering, and continues the movement that ‘The Forgotten’ made; bigger and louder in both metal and orchestral elements. It’s a resounding success, with the increased scope fitting comfortably with the band’s existing sound, and giving them room to experiment.

The primary challenge of this whole gothic/symphonic/power metal mode is knowing when to be dramatic and when to be restrained. Without care, it’s very possible for the operatic elements to drown out everything else and lose their impact, or to be so calm as to seem unnecessary alongside other solid metal. Selene tread this tightrope carefully: their lyrics are simple rather than grandiose, and musically they save the full-on Hans Zimmer moments until absolutely necessary. There’s more variety on the new release than there was on ‘The Forgotten’, so the pool of ideas is certainly remaining fruitful, and each song has a demonstrable reason to exist.

‘New Era’ is a bombastic opening number, dropping the listener right into the fray with an epic  orchestral section that’s fond of horns. A sudden tempo shift at the halfway point makes the new directions clear, but the melodic guitar riffs and ethereal vocals remind you who you’re listening to. ‘The Great Heart’ leads with energetic keyboard melodies and a choral intro that distinctly reminded me of Nightwish’s ‘Planet Hell’; a track I’ve seen the band cover live (if the tribute is intentional, it’s tasteful enough). It’s not a slow track, but it’s more smooth than epic, and would fit on an earlier Selene EP without much confusion. The same could not be said of ‘Ashes’, the first single from the album; a big, dominant number where the vocals, instruments and orchaestral samples vie for supremacy, albeit with calmer verses. ‘Ashes’ feels like a miniature version of the ten-minute ‘Piano Black’ that closed ‘The Forgotten’, and could serve as a show-closer if they didn’t already have such a strong one.

‘Calm Before the Flame’ brings back the keyboard focus and smoother sound. This is necessary to maintain a balance between two particularly fierce tracks, because ‘Burning Bridges’, the second single, is probably the bravest part of the album. In addition to stepping the Power Metal levels up to eleven, it adds Maverick’s David Balfour to the vocal mix (he’s previously collaborated with the band on stage, but not on record). The gambit pays off: David’s vocals match and challenge Shonagh’s at every turn, and John shreds through several solo sections. To strain a metaphor, Selene’s balancing act is best demonstrated here. One step in the wrong direction and any of these elements could overpower the rest, but it’s difficult to find a moment where they’re not complimenting one another. I’m left to hope this collaboration will not be a once-off, as Maverick are a top-notch act in their own right, and David’s voice works just as well for epic power metal as for Maverick’s more classic metal sound.  

The next track ‘If Tomorrow Never Came’ is a different beast again. The tempo and vocals are quite Among the Frozen, but the guitar chugs aggressively alongside; it’s a tasteful mix of old and new. From there, it’s on to ‘Our Regrets’, an especially fresh track, adding synth to both instruments and vocals and giving Shonagh’s voice an aggressive tone I haven’t heard before. It seems like something of a spiritual successor to ‘Blood’, musically rather than lyrically. ‘Kingdom’ wholly embraces the power metal currents that have been flowing under the rest of the album with a fast tempo and a fantastical melody that ‘Infinite’-era Stratovarius would approve of. ‘Wonderland’ is one of the most upbeat songs I’ve heard from Selene, both lyrically and musically, with an old-school riff and only a little Gothic flavour. It’s countered by ‘This Life’, the penultimate song and the album’s ballad; sombre, quiet and string-driven with some Celtic touches at the end. And, of course, there’s a ten-minute closing number. ‘The End of Time’ takes its time (no pun intended), with the drums and riffs not joining in until the three-minute mark. As you would expect from the big closer of a symphonic metal album, it’s Selene at their purest. The band wear their gothic fairytale aesthetic on their respective sleeves, with rhythmic riffs lending extra drama to mourning vocals and larger-than-life sampling. Most of the second half of the track is instrumental, with the guitar and keyboards playing a sort of back-and-forth duet. With more emphasis on keyboards and a slower pace, I’m not predicting ‘The End of Time’ as a replacement for ‘Piano Black’ as a show-closer just yet, but it matches it as an album-closer.       

Overall, ‘The Ravages of Time’ is exactly what I wanted it to be. The band have added half a dozen new influences and techniques while keeping a firm hold on their identity. The orchestral elements are bigger and more dramatic here, but the conventional metal side of the album follows suit, meaning neither loses ground from the change. Not every song stands out, but all perform a function in the overall sound and pacing. If it’s not already painfully obvious, I’m a big fan of Selene, but I’ve seen and heard thoroughly excited reactions from all kinds of listeners. I’ve spoken to both gothic metal fans who find them a worthy addition to the canon, and older Irish metal fans unfamiliar with the genre who’ve found them wholly fresh. ‘The Ravages of Time’ shows them at their best: consistent, confident and passionate .

Favourite track: ‘The Great Heart’
Polite Recommendation: At least one Balfour+Lyons song on every future album.
For fans of: Sonata Arctica, Nightwish, Stratovarius, Xandria, Blind Guardian
Pre-order it here: https://seleneni.bandcamp.com/album/the-ravages-of-time


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