Progressive Symphonic metallers ANTHEA are back with a mighty follow up to their 2020 debut Illusion. I reviewed Illusion which you can read by clicking here. I remember liking it a lot. The moment I pressed play on Tales Untold, I was quickly reminded why I was blown away the first time round. Tales Untold is a cinematic journey that the listener will quickly be immersed into. Let me explain.
It wastes no time kicking off with the title track. Imagine the majestic musical stylings from NIGHTWISH anthems Dark Chest Of Wonders and Shudder Before The Beautiful mixed carefully with the stunning vocal work from KAMELOT and the guttural growls from WINTERSUN, this should give you a clear idea on what their sound entails. Due to the grandiosity, it’s a great way to start the album.
Tales Untold takes you on an incredible journey of what I am calling mini prog tracks. Most us know that prog tracks are rather long leaving room for all sorts of complex elements to flow smoothly. In the case of Tales Untold, they managed to condense these down and these elements still flow together well. The elements don’t feel rushed, they stick around long enough for you to appreciate them.
MYRATH comes to mind when listening to the intriguing stylings of Sapiens. This track was written based upon the fascination with the human evolution and based on the book of the same name by Yuval Noah Harari. The curiosity and wonder of this topic are projected so well through the philosophical lyrics explaining the roles of humans and the interesting music stylings.
Memoriam is the song KAMELOT wished they had written. Lead vocalist/keyboardist Diego Valadez explains his granddad passed away in 2020 and it was his last remaining grandparent and with his loss, it felt like the end of a generation. He also explains he found comfort in knowing that people live on through memories of their loved ones and how they’ve affected the world. Memoriam does remarkably well to communicate the emotions of sadness and comfort across to the listener. It does this through poignant lyrics such as “live for all eternity through the stories we tell” and cinematic music stylings; these both work together well to keep you immersed and transfixed.
Empyrean is their latest single release and I am personally glad it is. It’s one the heavier tracks on the album and it’s about overcoming obstacles in your path to achieve your dreams. The melody and energy this track gives is entirely infectious. The moment you press play, you feel ready to take on anything and it’s a great introduction to the band themselves.
The album ends on a really positive and fun note, for some even a nostalgic note. They cover Robbi Robb’s In Time that was featured in the film Bill And Ted’s Most Excellent Adventure. Listening to both this cover and the original back to back, you can hear ANTHEA do a great job capturing the essence from the feel-good eighties track whilst giving it their own twist.
Tales Untold is a solid album that contains treasured elements symphonic and prog metal fans will welcome with open arms. This record is solid proof that ANTHEA are ones to watch and listen out for.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Tales Untold will be released 26th August 2022 via Rockshot Records.
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