CD REVIEW: LYRIEL – Skin And Bones

Label: AFM Records

Release Date: November 4, 2014

Rating: 8.5/10

Reviewed by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur

Symphonic rock.  Celtic rock.  Folk metal.  Heavy metal.  The bastard child of the four?  Lyriel and its latest release Skin And Bones.  “Numbers” kicks off this great disc with violins and celtic sounds about before the metal kicks in and delivers not one, but two lovely voices from Jessica Thierjung and Linda Laukamp atop some killer metal riffs.  “Falling Skies” follows and gives us an aggressive rock tempo led by a heavy bottom end and solid rock anchor supplied by the rhythm section of bassist Oliver Thierjung and drummer Markus Fidorra.  “Black And White” opens with a heavy cello and then the other strings from the guitar and violin join in making this a killer mix of different sounds and textures that only builds once the vocals are added to the mix.  “Your Eyes” is more hybrid symphonic sound with the sounds of celtic and folk stylings swirled into the song, giving this a cool track that shows the different dimensions of the band.  “Der Weg” has a great rock sound and chugging riffs that are padded by the heavy bass.  The foreign language lyrics elude me, but they are delivered beautifully and the chorus has a cool anthemic feel to them.  “Worth The Fight” has a full sound thanks to the incredible drumming  on this track.  The full background vocals offset the lead vocals, which lead the song through a landscape of different tones and tempos.

Title track “Skin And Bones” is solid rock from opening note to last.  The symphonic feel comes compliments of guitarist Tim Sonnenstuhl, who fills the space normally occupied by keyboards with killer riffs and full crunching solos.  The addition of violin from Joon Laukamp adds to the mix and gives this track, along with others, some cool sounds.  “Days Had Just Begun” is a beautiful ballad-type track that builds from the violin-cello opening and verse to the chorus and bridge, where the rest of the band slowly enter the scene and give the song a bit of punch without changing the mood of the track.  “Dust To Dust” has one of the coolest riffs to open a track on the disc.  The duet of a guitar with a violin create an awesome sound that is only made greater when the vocalists Linda and Jessica kick in and deliver arguably their best performances on the disc.  “Astray” opens with a lend of vocals and cello, which leads the song away from anything else on the disc.  As different as this is from other tracks, it seems to fit within the landscape of this collection.  “Running In Our Blood” is one of the best straight forward rockers on the disc.  The vocals soar and carry the track from first word through the fade out.  The guitars build and raise the chorus to new heights, while the drums and bass enhance the bridges, giving this disc one of its strongest songs near the end of the tracklist.  Disc closer “Dream Within A Dream” starts off on a mellow note, with a beautiful piano interlude that morphs into a heavier ballad about half way through, increasing in volume and intensity.  Not a bad send off for this release.

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Category: CD Reviews