Akoma – Revangels (2017)

After a brilliant 2016 filled with Symphonic/Gothic Metal releases from bands like Epica and Delain, it is quite delightful to hear that 2017 will follow along the same lines, starting with Akoma’s debut full-length “Revangels”. Featuring nine tracks filled with bombastic arrangements, this release perfectly combines soaring vocals and catchy guitars to achieve very dramatic and engaging songs.

The release opens with the very dramatic “Enticing Desire”, a song that reminded us of some of the most recent Within Temptation’s releases. Akoma’s vocalist, Tanya Bell, perfectly balances combining operatic style vocals with more ‘natural’ singing, which in turn allows songs like the opener and “Change of Propensity” to be quite dynamic and engaging. The album’s second track features backing vocals by Liv Kristine, adding an extra dimension to the band’s sound.

Continuing with the flow of the album, “Mesopotamia”, “Hands of Greed” and our personal favorite “Vira”, brilliantly deliver tons of solid guitar riffs, catchy drumming and a very dramatic mixture of orchestral arrangements and operatic vocals. One of the things that instantly stands out about Akoma and this release is that while the music is quite bombastic, it never feels over the top and keeps things perfectly aligned with their Metal foundations, making things both heavy and elegant.

Rounding up the release we have the ballad “Humanity”, a song that showcases Tanya’s excellent vocal range, the very powerful “Heartless Deceiver” and the bonus track “Bittersweet Memories”, which is a re-recording of a track from their 2012 EP, which features more of a folky/medieval edge. Overall, “Revangels” is one hell of a debut release from a very promising band. The music is expertly crafted to appeal to any fans of the genre and the vocals are different enough to clearly distinguish them from their fierce competition. If you like bands like Epica, Xandria, Delain and Dark Sarah, be sure to start your 2017 with this excellent release.

Label: Massacre Records

Release: January 13th, 2017

Genre: Symphonic/Gothic Metal

Country: Denmark