Supergroup and soon to be super stars Dark Side Of The Moon will drop their debut album May 12 via Napalm Records. Before we proceed however, let’s realize that melodic power metal can be dicey terrain to navigate. It can turn out fierce like Dragonforce or just the opposite.
Dark Side Of The Moon’s debut album Metamorphosis is a solid hit, it does the genre justice. If you don’t already know, the band was formed by Hans Platz, the guitarist of Feuerschwanz, and Ad Infinitum singer Melissa Bonny. Morten Løwe Sørensen (drummer for Amaranthe) and Jenny Diehl (harpist, Feuerschwanz) round out the lineup.
The idea behind the band’s debut record is to take the greatest themes of cinematography, TV shows, video games, and transform them into epic and powerful modern metal tracks. Lyrically and musically the band’s vision is on point. If there ever was a band meant to make this record–and pull it off successfully–DSOTM is it, considering each member’s musical resume and pedigree.
The interplay between Melissa Bonny’s voice and guitarist Hans Platz is stellar. Her voice marries Platz’s style of guitar playing masterfully. Add in Sørensen on drums and the harp sounds of Jenny Diehl, and it’s magic. Diehl’s harp playing adds a dimension to the band’s music which elevates the fantasy theme of Metamorphosis to a much higher level. The chemistry everyone has with each other is impressive, to say the least.
Highlights of the record worthy of mention include Charlotte Wessels (ex-Delain) appearing on the track “May It Be” from The Lord Of The Rings soundtrack, Tom S. Englund of Everygrey guesting on “Misty Mountains” (from The Hobbit) and Melissa Bonny taking “Legends Never Die” from The League of Legends and turning it into something epic and awe inspiring.
While Dark Side Of The Moon is all rock, all the time, they do exude an air of classical music and composition which elevates the music on Metamorphosis which, without a doubt, is the best melodic power metal record released in the last five years. This is a tough genre to survive in but Dark Side Of The Moon have set a new standard, and a high one at that, for other bands to meet. Metamorphosis is a must buy record. I hope this band stays together and puts out more incredible music.
