PERSEFONE: Metanoia (PROGRESSIVE METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Persefone continues its exploration of the border between melodic death and progressive metal. Five years after the excellent "Aathma", they offer us a new little masterpiece with "Metanoia", their sixth album in 20 years of career. A career that surely has a hard time to take off because of their geographical location, because frankly there is no other explanation for the little media exposure this incredible band gets, except that they come from the principality of Andorra, more known for its low taxes than for its musicians. And yet, what an injustice... because with this album, Persefone proves once again that they are one of the most gifted bands in a genre that is not lacking.

"Metanoia" is an emotional journey as well musical as conceptual. By choosing to tell the story of a character in the midst of an existential crisis, Persefone touches us from the first to the last note and subtly indulges in its own introspection. The more the hero of "Metanoia" sinks into his psychosis in search of repentance ("Metanoia" in Greek) and the more, strangely, the music of the Andorrans becomes more appeased while keeping its evocative power, leaving progressively its death metal influences (except for the brilliant and very opethian 'Aware Of Being Watched') for more metal prog sound textures ('Architecture Of The I', 'Merkabah').

This musical evolution is translated by the less systematic recourse than before to the growl vocal (to the benefit of the clear vocal) and by long instrumental titles particularly bewitching, in particular the very mysterious 'Leap Of Faith' and the excellent 'Consciousness (Pt.3)'. This last one is by the way the continuation of 'Consciousness (Pt.1)' and 'Consciousness (Pt.2)' present on "Spiritual Migration". And in fact "Metanoia" is clearly the artistic achievement, in terms of atmosphere and quality of compositions, of the two previous albums, "Spiritual Migration" and "Aathma".

From the opening track, 'Metanoia' on which Einar Solberg escaped from Leprous takes us by the feelings as rarely, until the continuation 'Anabis (Pt 1, 2 and 3), Persefone bets on the emotion without sacrificing the technique inherent to the progressive metal. But the dosage between the two is so mastered that the album becomes a dark and intense work of art perfectly balanced between melancholic passages of any beauty and symphonic moments never emphatic and always in the service of the songs ('Katabasis').

With this rich and captivating work, Persefone takes up once again the challenge of its own musical requirement, based on a modern progressive metal, at the same time complex and perfectly fluid, where the cinematographic aspect underlies the musical discourse without ever taking the ascendancy. "Metanoia" is a brilliant and fascinating album from one of the most unjustly underestimated bands of the international progressive metal scene. - Official website

PERSEFONE

METANOIA

NAPALM RECORDS

PROGRESSIVE METAL