Glasya – Heaven’s Demise

 The first single and opening track “Heaven’s demise” promises a lot and sets high expectations for the rest of the album with its powerful orchestral sound, catchy and headbang-ish rhythms coming from the drums and guitars, all enhanced by the beautiful vocals of Eduarda Soeiro. Well-structured, multi-layered, polished and never boring, the following 9 tracks deliver on all aspects, making this album one of the best modern symphonic metal released of the past couple of years. Big drums like the ones on “Neverland” or “The last dying sun” (two of the album’s best and heaviest songs), melodic guitar lines and marvelous solos like those presented on “Heaven’s demise” or “Eternal Winter”, coupled with Eduarda Soeiro classical approach and even operatic vocals (just check out “No exit from myself”) give the album a certain elegance and style that is missing from most released in the genre. The incorporation of male clean and harsh vocals from Flávio Lino (Airforce) that counterbalance and complete Eduarda’s gentle delivery on the oriental flavored track “Glasya” give the song a nice dynamic and an overall cinematic vibe, and make it a highlight of the album. The fast paced guitar runs on “Ignis Sanctus” or “Eternal winter” as well as the groovy drumming patterns on most songs just showcase the technical aspect of Glasya while the harsh male vocals give off a certain Epica vibe that I can’t help but love.

 The flow of the music and the way the song bleed into each other make everything feel connected and give the album a sense of purpose and direction. Davon Van Dave’s bombastic orchestral arrangements work incredibly well with Eduarda’s clear and bright vocals but are not dominant, instead they enhance the guitar melody or drum work like on “Coronation of a beggar” or “The last dying sun”. I really appreciate the fact that they don’t overdo it with the male vocals either (from guest singer Paulo Gonçalves, Flávio Lino and Nélson Raposo), adding just enough lines to give the songs thickness, complexity and variety, without ever sounding overbearing. Besides Eduarda’s impressive vocal delivery, I also want to mention the fantastic guitar work from Bruno Prates and Hugo Esteves, as well as Bruno Ramos’ drumming, who could stand alongside Kai Hahto (Nightwish, Wintersun) as far as I’m concerned.