{"id":19454,"date":"2012-03-25T15:11:01","date_gmt":"2012-03-25T20:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=19454"},"modified":"2013-01-29T10:00:07","modified_gmt":"2013-01-29T15:00:07","slug":"desert-star-of-delusive-hopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/desert-star-of-delusive-hopes\/","title":{"rendered":"Desert | Star of Delusive Hopes<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\nStaff Writer —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Power metal has been popping up from many unlikely places lately, and continuing that trend is the debut release from the Israeli act Desert. Founded in Beer-Sheva, but now calling Tel-Aviv home, this six-piece outfit has released Star of Delusive Hopes<\/em> on Greek label Sleaszy Rider Records.<\/p>\n

Desert has roots going back a decade to 2002, but the band really did not get rolling until 2004, when the core lineup of guitarist Max Shafranski joined up with vocalist Alexei Raymar and keyboard player Oleg Aryutkin. They released a demo (The Way to Honor<\/em>) in 2004 and an EP (Prophecy of The Madman<\/em>) in 2006. The band underwent a few more personnel shuffles before settling into their current configuration and beginning work on Star of Delusive Hopes<\/em>, which according to the band\u2019s label \u201ctells stories of great men and women who lived and gave their (lives) for freedom and beliefs, stories of lost hopes and betrayal. The lyrics describe great deeds by Giordano Bruno, Joan of Arc, heroes of Masada siege, and unknown soldiers who fought and died in the fields of Russia.\u201d While Desert\u2019s music is definitely power metal, there is a major theatrical feel about it \u2013 along with a touch of doom, both in terms of lyrics and delivery.<\/p>\n

Alexei Raymar fronts the band, and has a very theatrical, somewhat over the top delivery that well suits the nature of the music. At times, he does overcook this aspect a bit and ends up sounding like he is in something by Andrew Lloyd Webber or the soundtrack from a Tim Burton movie. He does have a strong and expressive voice with a decent range, but does sing with a very strong accent that is sometimes distracting. Oleg Aryutkin\u2019s keyboards are an equal level with the guitars of Max Shafranski and Sergei Nemichenitser, a bit unusual for power metal, but effective nonetheless. All three make for a dynamic rhythm section, but the quantity and perhaps overall quality of the guitar work is somewhat overshadowed by the keys. Sergei Dmitrik (bass) and Zohar Telor (drums) make a fine bottom end, ably handling anything the rest of the band throws at them. They work together quite well, as a veteran band should. The album is very well produced and recorded, so it is easy on the ears at all times.<\/p>\n

All is not perfect, however. There is not one track that stands out as a true barn-burner \u2013 it is almost as if the band is cranked to a steady medium heat without ever reaching full boil. Their performances are technically excellent but there seems to be a lack of a certain passion, almost as if they got a little lost in trying to tell all the small details of their stories while forgetting that the music and performance needs to be as compelling as the lyrics. As a result of this focus on detail, many of the tracks end up with a similar sound and are difficult to differentiate.<\/p>\n

There are many bright spots on this album: the almost mid-90s commercial rock feel to the opening bars of \u201cThe Unsubdued;\u201d the entirely of the up tempo and very progressive sounding \u201cLetter To Marque;\u201d the interesting use of hammered chimes and bells on \u201cRelease Me;\u201d the driving yet simple bass line and blend of growls and clear vocals on \u201cSoul Of A Wanderer;\u201d the fabulous keyboard work, gurgling bass and the vocal contributions of Sabaton’s Joakim Broden on \u201cLament For Soldier’s Glory;\u201dand the overall energy and \u201cdifferent\u201d sound of \u201cWhispers\u201d – easily the best track on the album.<\/p>\n

Despite the occasional shortcomings on Star Of Delusive Hopes<\/em>, Desert is a young band and will surely learn how to more clearly express their fire and passion. Experience will surely push them down the correct path as their talent is unquestionable. They have a bright future ahead, but unfortunately this release would be recommended only for fans who may be looking for a fusion of power metal and doom.<\/p>\n

Genre: Power Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nAlexei Raymar (vocals)
\nMax Shafranski (guitars)
\nSergei Nemichenitser (guitars)
\nSergei Dmitrik (bass)
\nOleg Aryutkin (keyboards)
\nZohar Telor (drums)
\nGuest musician: Joakim Broden (vocals) on \u201cLament for Soldier’s Glory\u201d<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tThe Unsubdued
\n2.\tMassada Will Never Fall
\n3.\tLetter To Marque
\n4.\tVictim Of The Light
\n5.\tRelease Me
\n6.\tSoul Of A Wanderer
\n7.\tWhispers
\n8.\tLament For Soldier’s Glory
\n9.\tStar Of Delusive Hopes<\/p>\n

Label: Sleaszy Rider Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.desertband.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis Staff Writer — Power metal has been popping up from many unlikely places lately, and continuing that trend is the debut release from the Israeli act Desert. Founded in Beer-Sheva, but now […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[4285,1097],"class_list":{"0":"post-19454","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-desert","8":"tag-power-metal"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19454\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}