Dante are another German band that play a blend of symphonic rock with metallic guitars. The style must be popular there 😉
And with over an hour worth of music compromised of 7 tracks, you know beforehand there is some epic material on offer.
Opener All My Life is a prime example of the band’s work. Symphonic parts are varied with heavy riffing. Keyboard and guitar solo´s are followed by more mellow vocal parts. And with 12 minutes it is the second longest track. Winner being album closer Vanessa, clocking in at 19 minutes.
Second track Drifting starts with a piano and vocal. Like in the previous song, I can´t help but think the level of the vocals is a bit low. Even the backing vocals seem to be louder. The song is pretty dramatic, and the piano and strings really carry the arrangement. Next is Lost, which starts life as a medium paced riff monster, sometimes backed up by double kick drums, which gives it a power metal feel. But the band change time and pace regularly and solo their asses off. When the vocals start, it stays on the heavy route. Maybe to compensate for the earlier, more ambient track.
Never Return has some Hammond added, creating a more 70ies feel. And as this is again a longer track, mood swings are expected and delivered. Making this a track that need time and repeated play to grow on you. But hey, we wouldn´t want it any other way!
So if this has whetted your appetite, check out the band, they deserve it. And let me finish by stating that the small print on the artwork can actually be read. In contradiction to a lot of stuff that passed my hands lately…