Brocelian – Guardians Of Brocéliande
Album Review By Rainer Kerber
Again, I get to know a new Symphonic Rock band. And Brocelain are from Germany, more specifically from Munich. The band was already founded in 2009. Named has the quartet for the fabled forest “Brocéliande” in Brittany. But five years passed before the release of the debut album “Lifelines”. Also, for the successor “Guardians Of Brocéliande” the musicians took five years’ time. The album was released in July 2019. Compared to the debut, there are news, duets with two guest vocalists, Oliver Tim and Alicja Mroczka (both The Crossways). Their deeper voices are intended to provide contrast with the soprano voice by Susan Notohamiprodjo. The album was produced by Alexander Krull (Leaves’ Eyes, Atrocity) at the Mastersound Studio. That promises of course excellent sound quality. So an audition is absolutely mandatory.
Epic choruses, beautiful melodies and a fantastic soprano voice, so everything you expect in this genre is offered here. And singer Susan Notohamiprodjo feels right at home in the medium-high vocals. Occasional excursions to the highest notes masters she playfully. The strings (Angelina Koschel) can be heard in the background. Fortunately, these do not crowd too much into the foreground. As the rhythm section is clearly the defining element. At both, the opener “Wrath Of Nature” and “A Life For You”, you can clearly hear this. Again, and again harder riffs are embedded. But Brocelian does not make the mistakes of other bands to overstrain them to sound 110% heavy. I think here you can feel the influence of producers significantly, which has a wealth of experience. Loosely and elated, it continues with “Speed Of Light”, suitable for airplay, without lending itself to the mainstream too much. Above all, the ingenious guitar solo and the industrial sprinkles vocals ensure this. The title song “Guardians Of Brocéliande” is extremely epic, flavored with a pinch of folk. This is followed by the beautiful ballad “My Last Melody”. Susan is subtly accompanied by strings and acoustic-sounding guitars. From the middle of the song, the guitars are then amplified electronically. It gets faster at “Now It’s Time”. It sounds like the musicians are running away from time. The drums are driving forward, especially the strings and the singer. But even so, the Bavarians are extremely melodic. With a playing time of only 4:05 minutes (!) “Escape From Alcatraz” is the longest track of the album. Here, the already mentioned Oliver Tim provides for a slightly rougher vocal part, matching the theme. And in “Fire Of My Heart” you can hear the duet with Alicja Mroczka. Both voices harmonize perfectly with each other. Something very special Brocelian have reserved for the end. In the purely acoustic bouncer “Summer Days” the summer is sung with a soulful melody.
This new discovery was well worth it for me. Actually, Brocelian does not play metal, as the band’s Facebook page and press info would have you believe. You can hear beautiful symphonic rock for more than thirty minutes. The acoustic finish is then the icing on the cake. Producer Alexander Krull has done a great job here. A crystal-clear and powerful production sets the ten catchy rock songs wonderful in the spotlight. Of that you would like to hear more.
Brocelian – Guardians Of Brocéliande: https://youtu.be/g6JzMIPvIHg
Lineup:
Susan Notohamiprodjo – Vocals
Alexander Senkbeil – Guitars
Angelina Koschel – Violins, Viola
Chris Rieger – Bass (Session Musician)
Joris Nijenhuis – Drums (Session Musician)
Label: Massacre Records
Out: July 19th 2019
Playing time: 37:02
Track list:
- Wrath Of Nature
- A Life For You
- Speed Of Light
- Guardians Of Brocéliande
- My Last Melody
- Now It´s Time
- The Signs
- Escape From Alcatraz
- Fire Of My Heart
- Summer Days
Rating :8.5/10
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
