{"id":47663,"date":"2015-01-07T09:30:37","date_gmt":"2015-01-07T14:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=47663"},"modified":"2015-01-07T09:32:03","modified_gmt":"2015-01-07T14:32:03","slug":"leah-kings-queens-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/leah-kings-queens-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Leah | Kings & Queens<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"LeahCanadian symphonic metal songstress Leah McHenry has put the finishing touches on Kings & Queens<\/em> \u2013 her second full-length studio release. Leah continues to blend Celtic, world music, and progressive metal influences into European-style symphonic metal, resulting in a unique and interesting sound. Leah’s superb vocals are backed by an excellent band \u2013 many of whom will be immediately familiar to fans of European symphonic metal.<\/p>\n

Leah released her debut CD Of Earth & Angels<\/em> in 2012, and 2 EPs since (Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence<\/em> in December 2012 and Otherworld<\/em> in late 2013). She has built up a decent sized fan base thanks to her good use of social media and grass-roots publicity. Leah’s music in many ways is a blend of Leaves’ Eyes, Lana Lane, and Blackmore’s Night \u2013 with more of a metal influence. Celtic melodies and mythology bump into new age concepts and symphonic \/ progressive metal tones, and Leah and her friends deliver it with passion. The band consists of guitarist Timo Somers and drummer Sander Zoer \u2013 both members of Delain, and bassist Barend Courbois (Blind Guardian, Vengeance). Also contributing are Brent McHenry (orchestration) and Oliver Philipps (keyboards, orchestration). While being heavier and more metal than her prior efforts, Leah does not abandon the diversity of tone and tempo, the strong lyrics, and folk overtones that made her earlier releases so popular.<\/p>\n

\u201cArcadia\u201d starts off as brutally heavy track with massive bass and drums, but immediately softens to become a haunting and flowing mid to slow tempo rocker that highlights the diverse tone and atmosphere that characterize the rest of the album. \u201cSave The World\u201d is a rollicking folk metal track with lush orchestration and cool vocals, while \u201cAngel Fell\u201d is a sweeping medieval ballad built around driving bass and ethereal vocals. Leah’s Irish\/Scottish blood runs high on the epic \u201cEnter The Highlands,\u201d a tightly performed track with many tempo changes and symphonic elements. The technical performances on this spirited song are near perfection, making it the true apex of the album. Leah’s vocal performance ranges from soft and sweet to smokey and sensuous on the slow rocker \u201cIn the Palm of Your Hands\u201d and the guitars of Timo Somers are at their most expressive.<\/p>\n

Celtic and Middle Eastern influences abound on the progressive \u201cAlpha et Omega,\u201d while \u201cHeart of Poison\u201d displays the veteran status and fine teamwork of drum and bass. The flowing guitar opening of \u201cHourglass\u201d and soft vocals will immediately bring a number of Blackmore’s Night tunes to mind. The near 8 minute \u201cPalace of Dreams\u201d ramps up the energy and clearly displays Leah’s love for the more mystical side of symphonic metal, and some very strong guitar and keyboard work. \u201cThis Present Darkness\u201d follows the same road, although this track is built more around Leah’s amazing voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Crown\u201d is a triumphant ballad that builds in intensity as more and more layers of music are added as the song progresses. \u201cRemnant\u201d is powered by some precise and energetic bass and drum work. Choral vocals, a neat blend of acoustic instruments, intriguing bass work, and a flowing rhythm line make \u201cThere Is No Farewell\u201d an epic folk metal track. Leah wraps the album in fine Celtic style with a beautiful acoustic version of the traditional Irish tune \u201cSi\u00fail A R\u00fan\u201d<\/p>\n

Leah’s Kings & Queens<\/em> will appeal to fans of symphonic metal, folk metal, and female-fronted rock. There is enough variety and diversity to please even the pickiest of listeners, and the sheer breadth of performance talents and songwriting skills set Leah apart from the crowd. Whether delivering symphonic bombast or delicate melody, Leah proves that she is an up-and-coming force not only in the symphonic genres, but in almost every melodic metal class. Kings and Queens is very highly recommended.<\/p>\n

Genre: Symphonic Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nLeah McHenry (vocals)
\nTimo Somers: (guitars, arrangement)
\nBarend Courbois (bass)
\nSander Zoer (drums, percussion)
\nAdditional musicians: Brent McHenry (orchestration), Oliver Philipps (orchestration, pianos)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tArcadia
\n2.\tSave the World
\n3.\tAngel Fell
\n4.\tEnter the Highlands
\n5.\tIn the Palm of Your Hands
\n6.\tAlpha et Omega
\n7.\tHeart of Poison
\n8.\tHourglass
\n9.\tPalace of Dreams
\n10.\tThis Present Darkness
\n11.\tThe Crown
\n12.\tRemnant
\n13.\tThere Is No Farewell
\n14.\tSi\u00fail a R\u00fan (Acoustic Version)<\/p>\n

Label: Inner Wound Recordings<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/leahmusic.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis – Senior Columnist — Canadian symphonic metal songstress Leah McHenry has put the finishing touches on Kings & Queens \u2013 her second full-length studio release. Leah continues to blend Celtic, world music, […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":47664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12394],"tags":[2317,10502,10505,10500,10499,10501,10503,10504,1100],"class_list":{"0":"post-47663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2015","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-earth-angels","10":"tag-inner-wound-recordings","11":"tag-kings-queens","12":"tag-leah","13":"tag-leah-mchenry","14":"tag-let-all-mortal-flesh-keep-silence","15":"tag-otherworld","16":"tag-symphonic-metal"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47663","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=47663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}