Mercy Isle - Undying Fire

English:CD-review
  Van Muylem    5 september 2016

In October we’ll see Kassandra Novell and her band on stage at the Metal Female Voices fest in Wieze (Belgium). We already presented our interview with her and now it’s time to unveil her brand new CD and like you can prepare yourself for the great gig!


You'll recognize the EP songs, Storm, Uncaged, and No One Will Save You. You may even recognize Saying Goodbye. This album boasts new modified versions. It’s a sensitive, rocking and simply great symphonic female fronted album with their best tracks! No fillers, only pearls and diamonds!

They start with the melodic and beautiful Wake Up call. It’s speeded up, has a nice melody and that great vocals that this song needs! Another strong and magnificent track is Storm. Just like the title says it’s the kind of song that storms: fast and heavy but with an angelic voice and technically perfect! I’m pretty sure it will make some people really happy in Wieze and at some other and upcoming gigs! This really rocks (with a great synth)! Stop, Kiss Me is a very romantic track filled with love and passion. I cherish the male vocals (Chad Novell) who are pretty cool! Sometimes it even sounds like a duet and I’m pretty sure it will turn into a duet soon or later! It also has something catchy and gives you goosebumps!

If I Could is a beautiful ballad, with a nice piano intro. It’s a very fragile and sensitive one! Uncaged is a powerful symphonic metal track, raging about being caged. You almost feel yourself in that cage, as true as it can feel! No One Will Save You is a great ballad, it reminds me slightly of Evanescene with My Immortal (but that says it all about the strength and the quality of this track). You can feel the pain and the sadness! I also adore the grunting and the clean male voice, it gives an extra boost! I Am sounds a bit like stadium rock, for sure with the metallic sound of the vocals in the beginning. Slowly the vocals turn into a more human sound, slowly growing and slowly becoming stronger. It all sounds very mysterious, almost like ready to bewitch you.

Saying Goodbye is yet another magical ballad, with Irish influences (listen to the magical flute).  The guest vocals of Amanda Somerville are more than a rightful extra and lift the song to a higher level! Come to Me has a cool choir, but also sharp guitars and a heavy bass. It has the right tempo and might be a hit during gigs as well! It’s also very clear that a choir is very much appropriated! It’s crafted and polished as it should be, bringing us the quality needed and this over and over and track after track! This brings us to the last track The Ghost. We hear synths, drums that knock out their last breadth, sharp guitars and vocals that explode for a last time! The roof is on fire and we go out with a big bang! We can hear how good Chad and Kassandra can perform a duet and melt together in a vocal way whilst the instruments are almost exploding, one last burst before the fade out!

It was the first time I could review them, but no doubt: I will do all that is in my power to get their next one too and am pretty confident that their gig in Wieze (will also be the first time I see them on stage) will be a must see!

Spread the word, buy the CD and go see them perform all these pearls and diamonds on stage!


Listen to the songs in this order:
1: Wake Up
2: Storm
3: Stop, Kiss Me
4: If I Could
5: Uncaged
6: No One Will Save You
7: I Am
8: Saying Goodbye
9: Come to Me
10: The Ghost

Note:

Official CD release is October 21, with MFVF as "CD release party." Only people who contributed to our Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign will receive CDs and downloads early prior to MFVF. They will bring 250 CDs of the full album with them to MFVF. Nice side-note: Only Chad & Kassy are American, the other 4 bandmates are Dutch.

Vocals/growls: Kassandra Novell Keys: Joop de Rooij Bass/vocals: Chad Novell Drums: Ywe van der Pol. All guitars on the album provided by guest guitarist Sebas Honing (Equisa & Minor Giant). Flute provided by Jeroen Goossens. Additional strings/synth on If I Could provided by Erik van Ittersum. Choir members on Come To Me: Kolin McCormick, Dave Boxhorn, Brett Kihlmire, Thomas James, Gerra McShan, David Zapp, Todd Herdt, Lisa "Ashton" Cochran, and Ami Bouterse. Executive producer: Sander Gommans Vocal coach/producer: Amanda Somerville Album art: Jan "Örkki" Yrlund/Darkgrove Recording engineers: Daan Janzing, Kyle White, Chris Kringel, and Sebas Honing. Mixed by Sander Gommans (After Forever) and Daan Janzing Mastered by Daan Janzing.

Discover the line-up of the 2016 edition of the Metal Female voices fest in Wieze:

http://www.metalfemalevoicesfest.be

Leaves' Eyes Official with their amazing Viking ship show!

Tarja Turunen

Battlelore (come back!!!)

Spoil Engine

Savn - Official

Artrosis

KONTRUST

WHYZDOM

MaYaN

Crescent Lament 恆月三途

Blackthorn

Mercy Isle (Usa)

Mourning Sun

Tristania

Enemy Of Reality Official

Feridea

Skarlett Riot (Uk)

Ancient Myth

More MFVF-related interviews:

interview Aria Flame

interview Enemy of Reality

interview Mercy Isle

interview Jaded Star

interview Bergtatt

interview Ancient Myth

interview Battlelore

interview Crescent Lament

interview Evig Natt

interview Whyzdom

interview Helcanen Val

interview Skeptical Minds about MFVF