After leaving Within Temptation, drummer Ivar De Graaf hooked up with classically trained vocalist Judith Rijnveld and put together this new band Kingfisher Sky. Their debut for The Lasers Edge, Hallway Of Dreams, should instantly appeal to fans of Within Temptation, Nightwish, The Gathering, After Forever, and Epica, as the music is a strong mix of gothic power metal, progressive rock, pop, folk, and Celtic influences, yet with a twist. Joining the duo are guitarists Daan Janzine & Edo van Der Kolk, bassist Eric Hoogenboorn, and keyboard player George Van Offen.
"The Craving" kicks things off in bombastic fashion, with thick Middle Eastern tinged guitar riffs, nimble drum fills, lush keyboards, and Judith's gorgeous vocals. This is a powerful piece and a great choice for the opener here, easily laying the groundwork for the emtional title track which follows. Van Offen's majestic piano and synths allow Judith's vocals to soar (comparison's to Anneke anyone?), while the rest of the band pounds away on some intense metal arrangements. The folky, Celtic sounds of "Balance of Power" follow, a real addicting piece with killer hooks that also features some hefty guitar crunch and Hammond thunder towards the closing moments. The next two numbers, "November" and "Big Fish" are more folk influenced pieces, the latter with an engaging vocal from Rijnveld, while "Through My Eyes" sees the band delivering lush & dreamy symphonic progressive rock. "Seven Feet" has a hard rock feel to it, but with plenty of Van Offen's keyboards playing off the crunchy guitar riffs, and "Persephone" is ballsy progressive metal, Judith Rijnveld playing the enchantress while Janzine & van Der Kolk weave some inventive guitar riffs for an overall extremely dramatic effect.
Fans of Tori Amos, Kate Bush, or classic Renaissance will love the acoustic majesty of "Her White Dress", Judith's vocals just lovely atop beds of piano, tun whistle, and acoustic guitars, and "Brody" is dark and menacing gothic metal, complete with heavy riffs and pounding drum work. The CD ends with the Celtic metal strains of "Sempre Fedele" , a real majestic number that is again a great vehicle for Judith's emotional vocals. In many ways, she's the star of the show here, but as great a talent as she is, Hallway of Dreams is a focused and solid band effort, and one that takes what would normally seen as 'just another gothic female fronted metal album' to an entirely new direction. Kudos for that, and bravo on a great debut!
Track Listing
- The Craving
- Hallway of Dreams
- Balance of Power
- November
- Big Fish
- Through My Eyes
- Seven Feet
- Persephone
- Her White Dress
- Brody
- Sempre Fedele
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