Album Review: Glasya - Heaven's Demise

There are a lot of people who love the beauty symphonic metal is able to bring us, with the lush instrumental sounds, and often classically trained singers who can bring an operatic tone to the music. It has become a very common sound, and it's also one that I have really not been able to embrace. It isn't as though I don't want to. I love the idea of having big, dramatic elements to the songs that more conventional metal sounds can't create, but I have always had a big problem with classical sounding vocalists. There is something in that style that doesn't hit my ears well, and it has ruined many popular bands for me. So it is always with apprehension that I press play on a band like Glasya.

When the title track bursts open with its string arrangements slashing through the mix, the first comparison that came to mind was Hollenthon. Obviously, that becomes moot once the vocals start, but I appreciate the heaviness the guitars still bring, and how the crux of the composition is put on the strings, not merely using them as set decoration. That approach happens far too often, and renders symphonic metal rather useless. If you can remove the symphony and have the same song, why was it ever there to begin with?

The band also uses chanted backing vocals to give the music more of a gritty feel than some of the overly polished bands of the same ilk. It's a little detail that keeps the music from becoming too saccharine, too neutered. Sonically, they've hit on a good balance that is both beautiful and powerful. That's something to commend.

There is, of course, the one issue looming over the entire record; the vocals. Though I'm sure they are done well, from a technical perspective, the style and tone is not my taste, and it also makes it hard for the lyrics to be made out clearly. When a big chorus comes along, and I can make out the crooning notes and nothing else, it is a drawback for me. A well-written song shouldn't be spoiled by a performance that denies me access to a part of the composition. The same criticism would be leveled against a record if the production obscured the details, or if the whole thing was fuzzy past comprehension, so it's only fair to say the vocals should be similarly clear.

I also realize, however, that my opinion is simply my own. The proliferation and success of classical singers in metal shows there is an ample audience ready to soak this up. Me not being one of them doesn't speak negatively about Glasya, it merely points out a difference of perspective.

So if you're more of a fan of classical singing than I am, I can absolutely recommend Glasya to you. Their sound is great, their songs are strong, and they have an identity. That can't be said about a lot of bands, so they are ahead of the pack in that respect. They haven't changed my mind on symphonic metal, but that would have been a tall order. It may not be for me, but I can appreciate when a style I'm not a huge fan of is done well. "Heaven's Demise" is done well.

Glasya should satisfy symphonic metal fans, no doubt.