Reviews

YOTANGOR..'KING OF THE UNIVERSE'

(Brennus Music) Reviewed 6th July 2009

I am continually blown away by the music on offer within our beloved genre, by and large from bands that are either unsigned or are on small indie labels. I have just got over the totally awesome debut by Italian band Lunacy Box, and now along come YOTANGOR. They are a metal band from Toulouse (south of France), proving that mainland Europe at the moment is a definite hotbed of femme fronted rock and metal. Yotangor, fronted by Yngrid Allières is what I would best describe as a pompous, grandoise, melodic, symphonic metal act. And with two other ladies in the band, Vanessa J Wood and Corinne "Coxx" Fourment, who both share keyboard and backing vocal duties, this is a female fronted metal lover's wet dream. I cannot even begin to make comparisons here - I suppose if one could imagine a mix of Nightwish, Epica, Queen and British Pomp Rockers Magnum, mix it up and add limited doses of any female fronted symphonic metal act you can care to think of (minus the operatic warblings), then perhaps we are there or there abouts. I am not really sure to be honest!! Musically, this double cd (it's a double) is totally awesome. It is a concept album telling the tale of a dictator who is ignoring the consequences of his acts. Yep that's right! And there are highlights throughout the 26 tracks on offer to keep the metal fan, the symphonic metal fan and AOR fan totally happy. Production is spot on as is the musicianship throughout. Highlights are far too numerous to mention, but fave tracks of mine are the AOR sounding 'About Love', of which there is also a video, the catchy 'Our Land' and 'Power'. A couple of equally awesome tracks have clean male vocals, but I am not sure who in the band has that honour. Anyway, this band posted a comment on Ravenheart Music myspace that initially caught my attention, and boy am I glad they did. This is mind blowing, totally mind blowing. 100 minutes of music, lavishly packaged and presented. Go on, check them out at www.myspace.com/yotangor and then treat yourself! 9.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)