Dotma Sleep Paralyses
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
If you always wanted to try some operatic/symphonic metal but were afraid to ask, then this may be the album for you. Finnish quintet Dotma will be soon releasing their debut album entitled Sleep Paralyses, and it may be the ideal album to initiate new listeners into the genre. Filled with solid performances, interesting melodies and an accessible, listener-friendly style, Dotma manages to avoid some of the “over-the-top” stereotypes of female-fronted operatic or symphonic metal and have produced an album that may bring some new fans into the fold.
Formed in Finland back in 2005, Dotma set out to blaze a new trail into the world of “fantasy metal” by filling their tracks with tales of dragons and monsters, backed by ethereal symphonic music and sweeping vocals. After two strong demo releases in 2007 and 2009, Dotma felt ready for the big time and started work on their full length debut in late 2009. They were joined in the studio by guest vocalists Vladimir Lumi (ex-Thaurorod) and Ines Lukkanen (Embassy Of Silence), and guitarists Lasse Nyman (Thaurorod) and Tero Kalliomäki (Embassy Of Silence, Saattue).
The five members of Dotma display and awesome amount of talent. Lead vocalist Johanna Lesonen has an amazing voice. She can hit amazing highs and is crystal clear throughout her entire vocal range, and although lacking the raw power of Tarja Turunen, she is a fine singer with a strong musical sense and solid delivery. Drummer Joonas Pykälä-aho and bassist Aapo Lindberg make a solid backbone and push the music forward without dominating the other members of the band. Leo Saarnisalo (guitars) and Harri Koskela (keyboards) are fine players as well, equally comfortable doing lead or rhythm, fast or slow, grinding or melodic.
“Legend Of Blackbird” opens the CD with some sweeping rhythms and fine vocals, but seems to plod a bit at mid-song. “Reborn” slams into the user with strong choir vocals and a ponding rhythm line, and it allows Lesonen to display her wide vocal range. “Silent Sunshine” has a great rolling rhythm line with fine teamwork between bass, drums and guitars. The softer keyboard passages allow Lesonen to display both her operatic style and her gentle side, while the many tempo changes give the guitarists a chance to shine. The beautiful “Indian Fall” opens with a sweeping acoustic guitar passage and soft vocals, giving the listener a chance to catch their breath before the band cranks it up again.
Solid vocals and abrupt tempo changes open the second half of the album in “Whispering.” The band does a fine job handling the various moods of this track. “The Cave” is another song that seems to drag a bit, but there are some nice vocal twists here, enough to keep fingers away from the “next track” button. The eleven minute epic “Kingdom Of The Sky” is the musical highlight of the album. It features great guitars, wonderful vocals, strong harmonies and lyrics, varied rhythms – Dotma does everything right here. The album closes with the dark and brooding “Memory Worth Dying For,” filled with big bass and booming drums that lead to soft keys and quiet vocals, and features an amazing guitar solo.
On the whole, Sleep Paralyses is a pleasant listen with fine performances throughout. Unlike many others in the genre, the band seems to take a milder approach to their music and have tried to make it straddle the operatic and symphonic metal genres. Unfortunately that’s where Dotma falls short. Their music is probably not “operatic” enough in comparison to old Nightwish, and not “symphonic” enough for Epica fans. Each track on its own is fine song, but the band needs to mix up its sound just a bit to keep the listener interested. The similarity in tone from track to track makes the album seem a bit listless at times. Dotma needs that ONE trademark song that they deliver with full power and passion – something to set them apart.
Nicely engineered and produced, this album would be a good introduction to the concept of operatic metal for the masses, but will probably not appeal strongly to the hardcore fans of the genre.
Dotma’s Sleep Paralyses will be released 22-March-2011 on Scarlet Records.
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Band:
Joonas Pykälä-aho (drums)
Leo Saarnisalo (guitars)
Harri Koskela (keyboards)
Johanna Lesonen (vocals)
Aapo Lindberg (bass)
Track Listing:
1. Legend Of Blackbird
2. Reborn
3. Silent Sunshine
4. Indian Fall
5. Whispering
6. The Cave
7. Kingdom Of The Sky
8. Memory Worth Dying For
Label: Scarlet Records
Website: http://www.dotma.net , http://www.myspace.com/dotma
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10