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H R H - R E V I E W SElfonia
Comments: Elfonía is the band centered around the charismatic Marcela Bovio, who claimed fame with her vocal performances on the highly acclaimed Ayreon “The Human Equation” and the new Stream Of Passion CD, also from the hand (and mind) of the master of modern metal: Arjen Lucassen. He was the one who discovered the girl with the magnificent voice. He also brought in keyboardplayer Alejandro Milán to participate on Stream Of Passion. Both are the heart and soul of Elfonía, but it is without doubt Bovio who steals the show. Her voice is crystal clear, wide, and extremely emotional; sometimes timid, while in the blink of an eye exploding into a powerful rage. Count to that the amazing musical capabilities of Elfonía, and you have a band to watch for! Now, be warned about the music offered. It is not the typical blend of metal with gothic edges. Not at all! This is more avant-garde, intimate, and very explosive at times. Check out the amazing “Máquina,” and the powerful “Camaleón”. Both offering a rare blend of the most colourful and passionate new breed of rock available, to explode in front of you … unexpected. Progressive elements take you by storm and the swirling keys, and bass are simply a treat for the ears. “Letargo” however shows us a complete different side of Elfonía. Starting with a nice guitar loop, taking us on a journey through the Pink Floyd-ish era of prog; floating and lingering on, while Alejandro adds a concertina (!!) to colour and uplift the song onto a different level of joy. Indeed; a concertina! It’s a turning point on the disc. Following “Mañana” is a warm keyboard and guitar based track that shows the wide range of Marcela, with high pitched vocals. The mid section again highlights the skilful playing of the band. A fine blend of progressive Nightwish-like sounds with the vocals of a young Kate Bush and ditto Dave Gilmour on guitar. Odd?! Not at all! “Travelling” is doing justice to the song title and the album title in one. It is a journey through musical landscapes hardly ever seen in rock music before. Unexpected breaks, drums that roll, and keys and guitars in the finest harmony. But the biggest treat is perhaps the trilogy “Gigantes” that wraps up this majestic disc; simply entitled part “I,” “II” and “III”. Almost 15 minutes of pure joy for fans of gothic folk rock with avant-garde elements. And again, the band succeeds in throwing you the most unexpected twists and turns throughout the three chapters. Check out the amazing drum playing on part “II,” filled with breaks! “III” is an acoustic sounding excerpt with again a key role for Milán and his concertina. It is just stunning to hear it being blended this easily with the magic of their (rock) music and creating so much depth in the sonic landscapes Elfonía offers on this remarkable, one of a kind CD. This CD is a must for fans of rock with touches of folk and goth. It is definitely one of the most experimental releases of the last few years. The band’s website offers full downloads of the first record and three sound clips of the new CD! Now be warned that the first record is differing like day and night from this release which has a lot more edge and is more rock oriented. CD can be obtained through the websites below. Track
Listing: Line-Up:
www.elfonia.com HRH Rating: 8.9/10
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