FEMME METAL

Label : Massacre Records

Review By Tony Cannella

Germany's Coronatus play dramatic, symphonic Gothic Metal with operatic overtones. They consist of 7 members in the band, including two female lead vocalists who each bring their own styles to the table. They have previously released two full-length CDs with this - their third - "Fabula Magna" out now via Massacre records. With most of the lyrics sung in their native German, "Fabula Magna" is quite the powerful statement.

After a brief intro "Preface", the band really get into it on "Geisterkirche" and here you can see the contrasts between the two singers, Carmen Lorch is a very talented soprano, who has also guested on albums by Brainstorm and Illuminate, she adds the operatic vocals while Lisa Lasch contributes a straight-forward rock/metal style to the songs. This is the biggest thing Coronatus has going for them in my opinion and these two different styles really bring the songs to life. The next track "Tantalos" is just a straight-up power metal tune and they get heavier still with the blasting next track "Wolfstanz" which is one of the more aggressive tracks that is offered, a lot of great riffs and vocal parts make of the core of this great track. "Der Fluch" is another good one that feature some pretty cool changes in tempo and would make a great single/video if the chose to release one, with some truly epic sounding vocals. Other highlights - and there are many - include: "Flying By (Alone)", "How Far Would You Go", "Der Letzte Tanz" and the excellent "Kristallklares Wasser" (really, this is one the best tracks on here).

"Fabula Magna" is a masterful piece of work from Coronatus and just an all around excellent third release from this German band. Among the 12-songs and 50-minutes worth of music on "Fabula Magna" lies plenty of substance and the band are not afraid to incorporate such varying influences as metal, classical, opera and even celtic music to create a compelling opus.

Rating - 95/100

Tracklist :

1. Preface
2. Geisterkirche
3. Tantalos
4. Wolfstanz
5. Der Fluch
6. Flying By (Alone)
7. Kristallklares Wasser
8. How Far Would You Go
9. Der Letzte Tanz
10. Est Carmen
11. Blind
12. Josy

Line Up :

• Carmen Lorch - Vocals
• Lisa Lasch - Vocals
• Fabian Merkt - Keyboards
• Jo Lang - Guitars
• Aria Keramati Noori - Guitars
• Todd Goldfinger - Bass
• Mats Kurth - Drums

Links :

Coronatus Official MySpace

Coronatus Official Site

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