Year : 2017
Style : Symphonic Metal , Female vocals
Country : Ukraine
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 156 mb
Bio:
IGNEA was started in Kiev, Ukraine back in 2011 under name Parallax. Intentionally, it was the first Ukrainian band to play oriental metal. The band, however, didn't limit itself to strict boundaries of oriental metal, and included elements from symphonic, industrial, modern, progressive and other modern subgenres of metal. In 2013, the band entered Morton Studio, well-known rock and metal studio in Ukraine, to record its debut EP, titled Sputnik.In 2013, the band prepared a follow-up single titled Petrichor, featuring bouzoukitara playing and a guitar solo from Yossi Sassi, at that moment the guitarist of oriental metal fathers band, Orphaned Land.In 2015, the band finally changed its name to IGNEA and released a new work called Alga, named after a war call of Crimean Tatar people. This song is contributed to Crimeans who are defending their land.Alga is the first ever original song from a Ukrainian band, recorded with a full symphonic orchestra. The video was shot unintentionally and on low budget as the band wanted to use orchestra sessions footage in something bigger, than video diary. Over the year, the video gathered over million views on YouTube.Recently, IGNEA opened the show of Orphaned Land, fathers of oriental metal, in Kiev, Ukraine.February 16th, IGNEA released its first full-length album "The Sign of Faith". The album is has a considerably heavier sound, with lots of growls and authentic middle-eastern melodies, common for oriental metal genre. However, the music keeps melodic fundamentals and OST feeling. IGNEA also released a video for the first song of the album called "Şeytanu Akbar". Despite provocative title of the song, IGNEA carries the idea of peace: "What we want to say is that there is no reasonable cause to kill other people, be it regime, faith or moral principles. We mainly speak about islamic terrorism in this song, as one of the social plagues of 21st century, taking lots of innocent lives. However, this applies to every human on Earth, regardless of their religion."
Album:
There are many bands using folk influences out there, both established and new acts. Middle Eastern influences are not something groundbreakingly new either, mostly made a household sound by Israeli masters Orphaned Land. Now there is a new band in town, formerly known as Parallax, offering up its debut album The Sign of Faith, namely Ignea, and while one would not expect Middle Eastern elements to be a big thing in the Ukraine and they come without the backing of a label, this could very well explode into the next big thing, because what the quintet has created here is nothing short of fantastic! Building on a strong foundation of symphonic metal with some more modern elements, Ignea are taking the mentioned influences and integrate them seamlessly into their sound, creating a very homogenous whole that has enough quality not to have to have any well-known names dropped a references. With the exception of Orphaned Land, but that only because of how some of the Middle Eastern influences are implemented and, of course, Yossi Sassi’s bouzouki solo and guitar guest spot on “Petrichor”.The Sign of Faith displays a more than remarkable set of sweeping symphonic grandeur that is greatly enriched by the Middle Eastern folk elements, taking the listener onto a ride he/she is not likely to forget any time soon. Opener “Şeytanu Akbar” (Arabic for Satan is great) is a great start with Helle Bogdanova’s powerful voice (she is neither a soprano nor a belter, but very comfortably sits in-between) in the verse taking turns with a growled chorus to great effect.Ignea’s debut lives off the delicate balance between symphony and metal, showing intensity (“Petrichor” or “Halves Rupture”), outstanding displays of calm emotions (“Theatre of Denial” and “How I Hate the Night” are absolutely beautiful songs) to a mix of them all (“Şeytanu Akbar” and the insanely catchy “Alexandria”) and the more symphonic and more Middle Eastern influenced (“Jahi” and “Alga”) in near-perfect fashion, blowing most parts of symphonic and folk metal smack out of the water. But if that was not enough yet, there is one more ace up the Ukrainians’ sleeve, namely “Leviathan”.Cover versions of non-metal songs have a long-standing history in metal, but very rarely do they turn into as bone-chilling of an affair as this one. Originally by Norwegian electro rock band Ultra Sherriff, Ignea have turned “Leviathan” into an intense and chilling behemoth of a version, with eerie, synthesized vocals by Helle, growls for the majority of the track and an incredible build up of intensity, making it infinitely more intense and outstanding than the original.While some of the review may read like hyperbole, The Sign of Faith is an absolutely outstanding debut album that should have labels battle over this band and that has the potential to appeal to a quite wide variety of metalheads without openly trying to cater to either. Aided by an immensely clear and powerful production (especially the drums), Ignea’s first should be a staple in many year-end lists and they will be their own biggest enemy trying to compete with this album for a follow-up. Stunning and utterly amazing!
Line Up:
Ivan Kholmohorov Drums - See also: ex-Parallax
Dmitri Vinnichenko Guitars
Alexandr Kamyshin Bass (2015-present) - See also: ex-Parallax
Evgeny Zhitnyuk Keyboards (2015-present) - See also: ex-Parallax
Helle Bogdanova Vocals (2015-present) - See also: ex-Parallax
Tracklist:
01. Şeytanu Akbar 04:40
02. Alexandria 03:57
03. Petrichor 03:32
04. Theatre of Denial 04:18
05. Jahi 07:36
06. Halves Rupture 04:04
07. Last Chosen by You 02:57
08. Alga 06:17
09. How I Hate the Night 03:22
10. Leviathan (Ultra Sheriff cover) 04:53
11. Sputnik (Xes Dreams Version) 02:52 instrumental
+ Video "Alga" (Official Video)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
