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The Serpent's Curse/Beneath The Veiled Embrace (2CD)
"When I heard about a metal band featuring a Mediæval Bæbe on vocals, I wasn't too sure what to expect, possibly one of those renaissance metal groups with lots of folk shit from the days of yore dressing up the metal riffs, or a fluffy gothic infused act with catchy tunes about midnight dalliances with some mysterious stranger. What I did not expect was aggressive and occasionally furious all out symphonic power metal, with emphasis on the POWER. Pythia have released an absolute monster here, balancing between speedy and mid-paced mini-epics with enough gusto, spite and glory to lay waste most of their fellow female-fronted purveyors of the genre.
The Mediæval Bæbes are this famous "classical act" from Britain which pumps out olden day jigs and folk ballads, singing and playing traditional instruments. So to bear witness to the first track of this album was such an immediate shock that I had to play that damn song again in order to enjoy it for what it was, and not just what it wasn't. After a simple yet appealing 'mood-setter', "Cry of Our Nation" races from the gate with so much bombast that I didn't need to feel an urge to climb a mountain since I was already atop one with both fists raised to the sky in absolute victory. It was as if I had just won a serious bout that I never participated in, an adrenaline rush inducing a state of euphoria due to sitting on my ass in front of a couple of speakers.
It doesn't end there. In fact, the grand finale is even more of a shirt-ripping epic, the incredible "Our Forgotten Land". Darker than the opener, the mood here is more of desperation, peril and intensity than the former's triumphant celebration of might. Still, the grandiose mood concludes this release, endowing it with some seriously potent bookends.
Yeah, she's a Bæbe, but Emily Ovenden is more than up for this propulsive challenge, mixing up her vocals from seductive to righteous to full fledged operatic whenever the material needs it without displaying any weaknesses throughout these variances in delivery. Backing her is a formidable wall of skillful instrumentation boosted by one hell of a production job. The drums are particularly worthy of note, espousing a powerhouse bass drum tone with a tinge of echo that retains clarity during the fast double bass pedaling sections. As strong as the drums sound, they don't interfere with the powerful melodies and riffage of the guitars and bass, as well as the orchestration, which is more of a supporting role yet significantly enhances that "rising phoenix" feeling when it counts.
Between the opening and closing tracks previously mentioned, there are a number of fantastic cuts spanning a wide range of stylistic endeavors, from the slower, slithering "Kissing The Knife" to the high velocity workout of "Heartless". Don't expect any lush ballads or folk tunes reminiscent of the singer's other act though, which I personally don't miss. Lyrically, there's a mixture of the familiar "I hate my ex" therapy prose and songs of war, rebellion and dragons. Thing is, in this case I do enjoy the spurned lover shit, if only because the combination of Emily's delivery and the monstrous musical backup gives me the impression that the dumbass who jilted her should be crapping his pants in fear.
Months after my initial experience with The Serpent's Curse, I'm still finding new things to enjoy within it after each subsequent listen, with personal favorite tracks shifting in rank on a weekly basis and nothing I'd even remotely contemplate skipping. It still ranks pretty high concerning my favorite albums for 2012 in general, and the way things are looking, it will most likely remain that way." - Metal Archives