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
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