Review Summary: Immanentism complies with this album.
Ravenlight play symphonic metal that brings to mind Nightwish’s early days. There was a time when I would have been quite negative about this release. In fact, I could easily declare Immemorial as generic and forgettable and be done with them forever. Instead, I’m immortalizing their efforts in this review, a stance which is immovable. This is simply because Ravenlight deserve a spotlight.
It’s possible to argue that Ravenlight are not modern enough, and perhaps stuck in the past. The raw production and even the style of music brings me back to the early days of symphonic metal. The somewhat operatic vocals from this female led group adds further to the nostalgia on hand. Rather than taken aback, I was not immune from immersion. There are two reasons for this.
Actually, there are immeasurable reasons why this album impresses. Firstly, there is the lead singer who surely would’ve been a big name back in the day. Lastly, everything else. The album does not require extra immiscibility, it is already blended to perfection. The pounding drum, the beautifully played piano, and riffs; they strike a perfect balance between heavy and melodic. There is a sense of immenseness about the music, despite how straightforward it is. There is a great deal of passion behind it, and I believe that comes through immaculately.
It would be so easy to immediately dismiss Ravenlight, call them a Nightwish clone, and run away chuckling. Instead I did the unthinkable. Indeed, I praise Ravenlight, and immure a shrine for their efforts. The immediacy of their catchy melodic framework immeshed in metal is immanent in my mind.
