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Off the bat, the greatest compliment I can offer about this female-fronted goth-metal duo is that at no point am I reminded of Cristina or Liv or Vibeke or Sharon. Instead, the mind turns to Tori Amos, Paula Cole, Dolores O'Riordan and Björk, all brilliant singers in their respective non-metal realms. By the by, singer Eilera – née Aurélie Potin Suau – bends her notes into any number of curious and interesting directions, even screaming and screeching outright like a Yoko and Diamanda tributary. To draw on those disparate feminine influences and sell them to soprano-obsessed metal rubes questing for jerk-fodder with a pretty soundtrack is a daunting proposition, but let’s hope the unwashed masses gain a couple of IQ points and embrace this jobber. Everything works here, from the foot-tapping percussiveness of “Free...Are You?” and “The Angel You Love...the Angel You Hate” (what’s...with...all...the...ellipses?) to the Celtic, industrial, acoustic, dancefloor and new wave flourishes that speckle the gothic metal canvas in consistent points. If it lacks true originality, it redeems itself by virtue of eclecticism and the capacity to evoke a period when so many females mattered: Heather Nova, Poe, Sarah McLachlan, Ani DiFranco, on and on. Just the same, let’s not mistake this album’s merits for any sort of x-chromosome agenda. The music simply rules.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Non Merci |
| 2. In the Present |
| 3. Healing Process |
| 4. Fusion |
| 5. Addicted |
| 6. The Angel You Love...the Angel You Hate |
| 7. Keep Our Heaven |
| 8. Back to the Essentials |
| 9. Free... Are You? |
| 10. September |
: 50:35
| Buy other Eilera albums |
