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Felony is a Swiss melodic metal
band and they've just released their self-released debut album
First Works a few months ago. However, the origins of the band go
back to the year 1992 when they played their first show. The band
has undergone numerous lineup changes since then, with only
keyboardist/guitarist Markus Geiger and bassist Thomas Brogli
remaining intact. The other members also joined almost a decade
ago, except vocalist Andreas Wildi who boarded in 2004. Felony is
a band with two lead vocalists, as they also enlist female
vocalist Andrea Richner, who, since the recording of this disc,
has also become a full-time member. Richner and Wildi exchange
verses and back each other up during the choruses, though Wildi is
a bit more in the fore on this disc.
Mixed and mastered by
renowned power metal producer Sascha Paeth who has works with
bands like Kamelot, Epica and Edguy under his belt, First Works
stands out as a solid work of melodic metal with touches of
symphonic elements and the classic characteristics of power metal.
Markus Geiger plays both keys and guitars. He is supported by
second guitarist Urs Fischer whose guitar tone is smooth and
almost silky, while the keyboards always serve to add a symphonic
backdrop to the pieces. There are solos in between, but they are
pretty concise and always kept minimal. Geiger has written all
music and lyrics on the album, and obviously he was more
interested in writing coherent songs rather than showboating. From
the Kamelot meets Angra meets Rhapsody epic instrumental intro "An
Introduction To...", the album dives into melodic metal territory,
utilising catchy guitar hooks, both male and female vocals
harmonising with each other, and plenty of synth and guitar unison
leads. All pieces are underpinned by Geiger's textural synth
lines, as the rest of the band paints the canvas with nuanced
splashes of melody and catchiness. The songs aren't as fast paced
as some other Euro power metallers; Felony is more midtempo stuff.
They love to incorporate beautiful piano intermezzo sections
combined with acoustic guitar as they do on the moving ballad "Tonite",
the key-driven guitar shred piece "Say Goodbye" where both
vocalists shine at their vocal best, and even folky flute cuts
such as the melancholic song "Promising Ballad". The band is
unafraid to experiment with modern soundscapes as well. Check out
the AOR-pop synthesizers on "My Way", a song that even borrows
some cool electronic sampling towards the end.
First Works will put Felony
on the melodic metal map. Now all they need is to continue their
hard work and hopefully find a decent label that may help them
spread their musical statements. |