Search - Amaran :: Pristine in Bondage

AMARAN : "Prestine In Bondage"

Masked Jackal | Ft. Lauderdale, FL United States | 12/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"~FIVE STARS~

=============



This is without question one of the finest female fronted Metal outfits I've ever heard. It's highly melodic, and straight forward Metal for the most part, but there's something special going on beyond that here. These are some great musicians in their own right, and there's something to be said about a band that can produce great song writing. AMARAN does it all with "Pristine In Bondage"....



I'm a huge Lacuna Coil fan, and this is the closest thing I've heard in comparison. Although I will say AMARAN is heavier than Lacuna Coil...



AMARANs' sound is a classic expample of old-school Heavy Metal rather than the new age experimental approach that Lacuna Coil seems to delve into more and more. There's no keys here, or weird elements involved, it's more "Heavy Metal" than say "Goth Metal" in that aspect. Very catchy riffs, excellet melodic guitars, and galloping drum beats....



Maidenistic one said???....Indeed. This is like a new age Maiden, fronted by a female vocalist, with Lacuna Coil dripped in for good measure. "Pristine In Bondage" is a masterpiece....



AMARAN can hold it's own, and "Pristine In Bondage" is proof of that. Buy it with the upmost confidence...







"

Perfection Of Many Elements

Tom Z | USA | 10/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a rare occasion to stumble across something that seemlessly crosses so many genres as Amaran. Thrash? Death Metal? Power Metal? Gothic? I've heard this album called all of the above, and perhaps it fits all and none of those labels at the same time. Death and thrash elements are heard in the brutality of the pounding riffs. Power metal influences are heard in the excessive and flawless solos. All of this is topped off by an amazing female vocalist who, for lack of a better comparision, sounds a bit like Anneke from the Gathering on the quieter parts and like the girl from Evanescence on the louder parts. No keyboards, synths or any of that, just talented, pure metal with a semi-gothic singer. Like what would happen if you crossed In Flames, Sinergy, Death, Slayer, the Gathering and Evanscence together. Labels and genres don't do this album justice, if your a fan of any of the bands mentioned above or any similar to them you'll find something to like about this album. Transcends the boundaries of genres like only the best can."

One of the finest albums in years.

Robert P. Beveridge | Cleveland, OH | 11/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amaran, Pristine in Bondage (Listenable, 2003)



Amaran are the best thing since sliced bread. Well, certainly the best thing since Lacuna Coil touched down on American soil back in '98. With their second album, Pristine in Bondage, Amaran evolve their sound while still keeping it as heavy as ever.



The best thing about Amaran's albums is that they show effort of being consciously put-together as albums, rather than just collections of songs. Pristine in Bondage is even more like this than was A World Depraved, ripping open with "Atropine," probably the best album-opening track (in context of the album) since Jesus Lizard buried our ears with "Boilermaker" back in 1992. You can tell the band were already thinking about how this would sound in an arena in front of fifty thousand screaming fans when writing the intro to this track, and it's pulled of with perfect success. They deserve arenas with fifty thousand screaming fans far more than most metal bands.



After that, the album shines with stellar tracks. "Inflict," the first single (the video can be streamed from the band's website, by the by), is actually one of the weaker tracks on the album, so if you check out the video and it blows you away, buy this album at your earliest opportunity. The band add a new touch with male vocals in "Katharsis," an exceptionally interesting track even by Amaran's standards; it continues on with the band's existence-long obsession with Christian imagery (they're doing that resurrection thing again), blending it with grindcore-style vocals that, suprisingly, blend perfectly with

Johanna DiPierre's angelic alto. (Fans of Lacuna Coil will be pleased.)



While there is much to make of Amaran being yet another band riding the wave of female-fronted goth-metal that's enjoying popularity in the mainstream at present, don't let the band's makeup lull you into believing this is another Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, or Evanescence. The music is far more Pantera than Metallica, and the male vocal delivery is best summed up as a Swedish version of Brujeria. This will not ever be mistaken for something that's going to play on your local lite-rock station (even the band's only ballad, on their previous album, is too heavy for your local lite-rock station. Trust me on this). For the discerning metalhead, especially the discerning Lacuna Coil or Evanescence fan, this album is an absolute must. One of the best slabs of vinyl/digitized aluminum to come out of Sweden in years that hasn't been released by Survival Unit.



Special note should be made, by the way, to pick up the Japanese import version, which contains three extra tracks, "As We Fly," "Seven Long Years," and "Nocturnal," all of which are some of the band's strongest material. You will be singing "As We Fly" in your head for weeks after your first listen. Trust me, it's been a month and a half and I'm still singing it in my head. *****"