A few years ago I saw a video on YouTube of a Greek girl singing Nightwish's Bless The Child. I got goosebumps immediately and looked up her work.
This girl was Iliana Tsakiraki, who started her career in Meden Agan and who is a classically trained singer.
She founded Enemy Of Reality in 2013 and the band has released three albums since then, the first being "Rejected Gods" in 2014, followed by 2016's "Arakhne" and "Where Truth May Lie" in February this year.
I was delighted to listen to the first two albums, so I had no doubt that the band would come up with another great album.
The album opens with Final Prayer, a song with an authentic symphonic base, a dramatic and compelling foundation for the rest of the songs. Two video clips of the album have been released so far, Serenade of Death and Downfall, which give an excellent indication of what listeners can expect.
I wasn't disappointed this time either. Iliana, who grew up in Athens but comes from the island of Crete, boasts a music-loving family who have always supported her on the path she took as a little girl.
Greek mythology has a strong influence on the work of the band, and this album is no different. There is pain and doubt in the songs, but also hope and love of life. The singer's operatic voice and the passion she infuses into the songs takes symphonic metal to a new level. She sings the songs with total passion, every song has that raw power that keeps the album from fading out and becoming boring.
Of course, the rest of the band has done a great job, with heavy riffs and hard drum themes interspersed throughout the music, the symphonic parts harmonising well with Iliana's unique soprano voice and the keyboards blending in perfectly with the dramatic sound. One outstanding example of this harmony is in Tears of Echo, in which Iliana's aria-like parts even bring the dead to life, and if the sky were to fall, her voice can hold it. The listener can feel as if they are in ancient Greece, witnessing the stories.
The album is not lacking in more bouncy songs, such as Long-forgotten, which is sure to become a regular feature at concerts. Similarly dynamic are Deliverance and Goat-legged Deceiver. Baptised in Fire is the album's closing track, which rips your face off with explosive force, and the symphonic sections at the end bring the saga's chronicle to a close. Az amazing ending.
Iliana is able to embody the soul in pain, the struggle, the fury, the sensitivity and in fact all emotions at once. Once again, she has unlocked what is in the back of her throat, with that ancient power that could be called healing power. I really hope to see this band live one day!
But I can't go without saying a few words about the rest of the band. As you can see from the concert videos, Enemy Of Reality is not a band where the frontwoman is out in the spotlight and the musicians are grey figures in the background. You can see the harmony, the chemistry and the fact that they are a perfect unit, and it shows on the album "Where Truth May Lie".
Great work, impeccable vocals, excellent music and professional harmonies.
10/10
Label: F.Y.B. Records
Tracklist:
1. Final Prayer
2. Downfall
3. At The Edge of Madness
4. The Vineyard Song
5. Serenade of Death
6. Ever-lusting
7. Tears of Echo
8. Long-forgotten
9. Deliverance
10. Goat-legged Deceiver
11. Baptised in Fire
Musicians:
Iliana Tsakiraki - vocals
Philip Stone - drums
Thanos - bass
Steelianos Amoiridis - guitars
Photo credits: Stella Mouzi
