Label : Femme Metal Records

Review By Tony Cannella

In the realm of female fronted metal bands, there are so many great artists to choose from. Now, here in all its Femme Metal glory is a compilation released by Femme Metal records. "Beauty and Brutality" features 31-songs and over 2-hours worth of music, spread out over 2-discs from some of the best female fronted bands found anywhere. This collection also proves to be a useful resource and an education for anyone who is a fan of this genre of metal. The Femme Metal landscape is so vast and features so many bands of different shapes, sizes and styles, this compilation makes that fact all the more apparent. Disc 1 opens with the strong track, "Head Up High" from Floor Jansen’s new project ReVamp. This is just an excellent way to begin things. From there the CD flows nicely as some well known, and not so well known bands are showcased, as well as many different styles. It is hard to pick out what made the biggest impression on me, because each band offers something memorable. But some of my favorites were Exilia, DAMA, Magion, The Mary Major and Asrai. Infinite Tales ratchets up the heaviness on the brutal "Running Away". That is followed by the melodicism of One Without. Disc 2 begins with "Unleashed" from Epica’s great latest offering, "Design Your Universe". DEADMANSWAKE is next with the aggressive, "Back To Blood". The different styles are once again showcased with bands like, Vanity Ink, Seven Kingdoms, Diva Suicide, Solsikk, VIRUS IV and A New Dawn. The fact is, there is so much music on these two CDs that it would take forever to go through track-by-track, so I apologize to any band that I left out. Suffice it to say, there is so much diversity on this compilation that even the most jaded of music fans should find something that pleases them.

In the end, "Beauty and Brutality" features a worthy cross section of some truly great and underappreciated bands. This compilation succeeds in every way, but the coolest thing about collections such as this is the ability to find new bands which you might never have been exposed to. Proceeds go towards aiding Cancer research in the U.K., so it’s all for a good cause as well.

Rating – 95/100

Tracklist

CD 1

1. ReVamp – "Head Up High"
2. Exilia – "No Tears For You"
3. DAMA – "Rainy Roads"
4. Magion – "War of Hearts"
5. Soulmaker – "A Vide"
6. The Mary Major – "Morning Sickness"
7. Disdained – "Longing For Serenity"
8. Asrai – "Stay With Me"
9. Crownless – "Lost Inside"
10. Re-Vision – "Shapeless"
11. Infinite Tales – "Running Away"
12. One Without – "Withered Serenade"
13. Aperion – "Shine"
14. Reactive Black – "Thoughts"
15. Apparition – "Elysium"
16. Triaxis – "Gates of Damnation"

CD 2

1. Epica – "Unleashed"
2. DEADMANSWAKE – "Back To Blood"
3. Vanity Ink – "Spell The Party"
4. Seven Kingdoms – "Somewhere Far Away"
5. Diva Suicide – "Crystals"
6. Exoterik – "Butterfly In Your Hand"
7. Özge Özkan – "My Cold One"
8. Kivimetsän Druidi – "Jaassa Varttunut"
9. VIRUS IV – "Frightening Lanes"
10. Solsikk – "Volatile Territory"
11. Dimlight – "Absence of Light"
12. Raven Tide – "Doom Revail"
13. A New Dawn – "Masque of the Red Death"
14. VelvetSeal – "Inner Guillotine"
15. Ex Libris – "Destined"

Links

Femme Metal Records Official MySpace

Femme Metal Records Official Site

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