Tracklist:

1. All Waters have de colour of Drowning
2. Turn to Stone
3. Through Wine
4. No matter what
5. Entangled
6. This is who I am
7. The weight of the world
8. Energy for the Gods
9. Shallow grave
10. I remember
11. Into silence
12. Endless

Ana Mladinovici - Vocals
Bogdan "Bat" Costea - Guitars
Emilian Burcea - Guitars
Vali "IngerAlb" Zechiu - Bass
Cristi "Beavis" Barla - Drums
6Fingers - Keyboards


Superb goth metallers finally get a worldwide release and take aim at Nightwish’s crown.

With so many acts out there hoping to get in on the female fronted gothic metal act, the question has to be asked- Do Magica have any chance of making their mark? Quite frankly, yes. Indeed they do. Devoid of the overtly symphonic nature of many acts in the genre, Magica have opted for an approach that is light on frills and heavy on ideas. There will be inevitable comparisons with the mighty Nightwish, largely down to the exquisite vocals of Ana Mladinovichi Classically trained over a period of five years, her voice is commanding and powerful, and while she does audibly resemble former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen, her delivery is much stronger and very well suited to the progressive power metal that the band have created. Occasionally she does seem to be pushing herself a little much, but here’s passion there, and that is very important in such music.

While there are definite symphonic elements, they are never overpowering, and the emphasis here is very much on memorable metal. Flourishes of Iron Maiden style harmonies make themselves known amid the crunchy riffs, and the band is tight enough to pull this off with style. Even the keyboard solos don’t come across as particularly twee, and sit perfectly with the tone of the material as a whole.

The album gets off to a cracking start with ‘All Waters Have the Colour of Drowning’ and ‘Turn to Stone’, all soaring choruses and joyous riffing. This is a band having a great time playing they music they love. Some rather ambitious guitar work pays off, adding another precise edge to proceedings. ‘Through Wine’ and ‘No matter What’ keep things moving, and ‘Entangled’ is a welcome show of the many sides to the band’s music. The instrumental break during this song is nothing short of sublime- no fancy effects or orchestrations, just honest notes full of power.

Magica follow a path similar to that of After Forever, eschewing overblown pomp in favour of just writing damn good songs. The chunky guitars and crystalline production are the perfect backdrop to a selection of songs that transcend the rather tired aspects of the genre to create something exciting. While not to the taste of every metalhead, this release is an excellent choice for anyone who misses the ‘Wishmater’ era of Nightwish’s career. This is the band’s third album, but the first to receive a worldwide release, and any fan of traditional power metal with a strong female voice would do well to check them out. Sadly the video track doesn’t do the music justice at all, but such are the budgetary constraints of the smaller labels in the genre. Let the music do the talking instead- this is very strong indeed.