Arion - Life Is Not Beautiful

 As such the cinematic “The end of the fall” is well chosen as an instrumental opening track, as it starts off on gentle notes and builds up in intensity as it progresses, setting a rather ominous yet upbeat tone to the album, and leading seamlessly into the second track, “No one stands in my way”, where the guitars and drums are backed up beautifully by symphonic arrangements, and Lassi’s raspy vocals add so much edge to this rather aggressive, but also empowering, song. After such an intense display of harshness we are graced with the melodic “At the break of dawn”, where Elize’s vocals, as well as the guitar lines, add depth and harmony to the main melody and complement perfectly Lassi’s vocals, especially during the chorus, making it the definite centerpiece of the album.  

“The last sacrifice” is just an epic symphonic piece, with big backing orchestration, fast-paced drums, and folky guitars melodies. The instrumental side of this could easily be on the soundtrack of a fantasy movie, while the vocals again add a dose of aggressivity to the song, and I really enjoy this neat interplay. “Through your falling tears” is the first ballad of the album, where the piano lines and acoustic guitars provide a nice backing for Lassi’s soulful vocal delivery, making it a very emotional track. Metal anthem “Unforgivable” ramps up the heaviness again with powerful drumming, intense guitar work capped off by an incredible solo, and dramatic soundscapes coming from the synths, while “Punish you” is just as relentless on all fronts, despite the catchiness of the vocal melodies. The title track “Life is not beautiful” continues on the same path and delivers some epic guitar melodies, fierce drumming, and strong vocal delivery, all wrapped in symphonic metal delight. The album closes with the emotionally charged ballad “Last one falls”, where Lassi shows off his lower vocal range, backed up superbly by symphonic arrangements.  

I have mentioned Lassi a lot, but a shout out to the rest of the band has to be given as well, for their amazing musicianship. In between “The last sacrifice” and “Unforgivable”, Topias Kupiainen has proven himself a very skilled drummer, while Iivo Kaipainen’s hefty riffages, melodic lines and majestic solos are simply brilliant from start to finish. Arttu Vauhkonen worked his magic on the keyboards, adding layers upon layers of melody and harmony to the songs, and Gege Velinov’s bass lines were groovy and rumbling. On the downside, I wish the vocals were a bit more up front, because, as powerful as they are, at times they seem drown by the chunky instrumental (as on the chorus of “No one stands in my way”)