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Album Review – Innersphere / Omfalos (2021)

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One of the most promising metal acts from the Czech Republic returns with their awesome sophomore opus, again dealing with topics of our own existence and naturalism.

3.5rating

innersphere-omfalos-2021Established in Pilsen, a city in the western Czech Republic, in the fall of 2015, Melodic Death/Thrash Metal unity Innersphere has just released their sophomore opus, entitled Omfalos, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2018 debut effort Amnesia. Produced, mastered and engineered by Dan Friml (Mean Messiah), recorded at The Barn, and displaying a darkly stunning artwork by Martina Samková (Ghost in the Shell, Llyr), Omfalos, which derives from the Greek ομφαλός (omphalos), meaning “center of the world”, once again deals with topics of our own existence and naturalism through mysterious stories with many metaphors, all beautifully brought into being by the ominous quartet comprised of Míra Litomerický on vocals, guitars and samples, Lukáš Mai also on the guitars, Marek Hubocký on bass and Filip Wintr on drums.

The atmospheric and somber intro Presentiment warms up our senses for The Darkest Hour, an imposing Progressive Metal tune showcasing obscure lyrics growled by Míra (“Droughts, plague, famine – we all blame the gods – surrendered / Cannot escape our fate – raising blackest thought – in this hour”) while the instrumental parts remain dense and captivating from start to finish; and  enhancing their aggressiveness considerably, Míra and Lukáš sound infernal with their riffs in Above accompanied by the crushing drums by Filip, therefore resulting in a multi-layered, bold Melodic Death Metal aria. Then it’s time to set fire to the album in Fire, where the classic, strident riffage blasted by the band’s guitarists walks hand in hand with the bass punches by Marek, reverberating in the air in great Black and Death Metal fashion, whereas the title-track Omfalos is a headbanging beast led by the intricate drumming by Filip, with all background elements and orchestrations adding a touch of epicness to the overall result. Not only that, Míra’s roaring gets deeper and more enraged as the music progresses for our total delight.

In Wisdom, a sinister, Blackened Doom-infused intro evolves into a massive wall of sounds, showcasing neck-breaking riffs and beats, a mournful atmosphere and the always demonic vociferations by Míra, ending in a beyond climatic manner; and putting the pedal to the metal, Filip fires some tribal beats in the violent Blackness, with the bass by Marek sounding truly thunderous in an amazing display of their trademark fusion of Melodic Death and Thrash Metal, not to mention the song’s sick guitar solo. Back to a more somber vibe, the quartet brings forward a fusion of Death, Black and Doom Metal in Nature Of Sorrow, which unfortunately falls flat after a while, sounding a bit generic compared to the rest of the album; however, Innersphere gets back on track with their second to last explosion of Melodic Death and Thrash Metal, titled The Embodiment, where they keep slashing their stringed axes nonstop, providing Míra all he needs to growl and scream demonically. Finally, melancholic piano notes ignite the closing aria The Fall, once again investing in a Blackened Doom sonority (in special through the deep gnarls by Míra and the sluggish beats by Filip), flowing smoothly until its Stygian finale.

innersphere-2021Such intense fusion of melodic, progressive and dark music can be appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, and you should also show your support to the guys from Innersphere by following them on Facebook and on Instagram for new, tour dates and so on, and subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their awesome music. And above all that, you should definitely add Omfalos to your vast collection of metal albums by purchasing it from their BandCamp page, from the Slovak Metal Army webstore, from Apple Music or from Amazon. The guys from Innersphere more than succeeded in depicting the center of the world through their unique music, leaving us more-than-curious to know what’s next in their shining path of life and death.

Best moments of the album: Above, Omfalos and Blackness.

Worst moments of the album: Nature Of Sorrow.

Released in 2021 Slovak Metal Army

Track listing 
1. Presentiment 1:14
2. The Darkest Hour 4:13
3. Above 5:05
4. Fire 4:49
5. Omfalos 4:17
6. Wisdom 6:13
7. Blackness 4:03
8. Nature Of Sorrow 5:48
9. The Embodiment 4:47
10. The Fall 6:05

Band members
Míra Litomerický – vocals, guitars, samples
Lukáš Mai – guitars
Marek Hubocký – bass, backing vocals
Filip Wintr – drums

Album Review – Sinners Moon / Far Beyond The Stars EP (2017)

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What are you waiting for to fly far beyond the stars with the brand new (and extremely fun) EP by this Symphonic Metal squad from Slovakia?

If you’re a fan of the music by bands such as Nightwish, Epica, Sonata Arctica, After Forever and Kamelot, among several others, you’ll be happy to know that an up-and-coming Symphonic Metal band hailing from Sereď, a town in southern Slovak Republic, is back with their imposing sounding in a brand new EP that not only lives up to the legacy of the genre, but that also offers some interesting variations and surprises that keep it truly entertaining from start to finish. I’m talking about Sinners Moon and their EP titled Far Beyond The Stars, another solid step in their recent but already exciting career and a highly recommended option for fans of the fusion of heavy music with operatic vocals and fantasy.

The fact the Sinners Moon managed to keep the exact same lineup (Simona and Derick on vocals, LukeN on guitars, Viktor on bass, Jarthuusen on keyboards and Jan on drums) that recorded their 2015 full-length opus Atlantis also helped the band in maintaining a high level of cohesiveness and dynamism in their new EP. As a matter of fact, one of the most complex songs in Atlantis, the 8-minute aria Fly to the Moon, works as the prequel to the music found in Far Beyond The Stars, proving LukeN and his bandmates are extremely focused when creating the music by Sinners Moon, always trying to give it a purpose and a soul.

The first half of the EP presents the trademark musicality by Sinners Moon, with their metal symphony permeating the air form the very first second in the intro Awakening (The Suite), creating the perfect ambience for the title-track Far Beyond The Stars, an electrifying fusion of Symphonic Metal with the more traditional version of Scandinavian Melodic Metal, where frontwoman Simona delivers her passionate and delicate vocal lines in contrast with Derick’s demonic gnarls. Moreover, LukeN is on fire with his guitar, making a flammable duo with Jarthuusen, and if you love Melodic Metal I’m sure you’ll feel energized by the song’s powerful lyrics (“Reach out your hand for the stars high above / We are hungry to find this world left aside / Please take me there we will fly to the moon / Far beyond all the stars we will touch them together”). Then in the awesome Travelers the rumbling bass by Viktor is quickly joined by Jarthuusen and LukeN, generating an amazing metallic vibe while Jan keeps the song’s pace at a thrilling level. In addition, the guitar riffs fired by LukeN provide Simona all she needs to declaim the song’s beautiful lyrics in a compelling way (“Dreams of love, dreams of life / Somewhere else we gain our hopes / With this heart and these hands / We will build a ourselves a new home / Never give up, never give in on our ways”).

After that blast of Symphonic Metal, the band brings forward two welcome surprises in Far Beyond The Stars, starting with their cover version for Skúsime To Cez Vesmír, which translates as “let’s try it through the universe”, by Slovak 80’s rock band Tublatanka (watch a vibrant live version of Tublatanka playing it in 1989 HERE). Sinners Moon added their own symphonic twist to this excellent rock song, with highlights to the amazing job done by Jan on drums as well as the electrified vocals by Simona. And the second treat of the EP is the opening track Far Beyond The Stars in a smooth and lovely piano-ballad version, with total focus on the beautiful voice of Simona, being the perfect soundtrack for being “captured” in a warm and comforting embrace by the person you love the most.

In summary, after all the epicness and imposing sounds found in Atlantis, it looks like Sinners Moon wanted to take an “alternative break” from all the seriousness that surrounded that album and show fans of heavy music a more relaxed side of the band, and let’s say they nailed it in Far Beyond The Stars, which can be purchased on BandCamp, at the Slovak Metal Army webstore or at Discogs. Also, don’t forget to visit the band’s Facebook page and YouTube channel for more of their top-tier metal music, and if you’re already addicted to their symphonic sounds you should definitely go for the deluxe digital version of the album, including a bonus demo track from their early days (before the lineup was even solidified) titled Dawn Of War, which by the way displays an above average overall production and a high-end sound quality for being just a demo, as well as few bonus featurettes including a special digital EP wallpaper, a digital booklet and a “thank you” note from the band. With that said, what are you waiting for to grab your copy of this fun EP and fly with Sinners Moon far beyond the stars?

Best moments of the album: Travelers and Skúsime To Cez Vesmír.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2017 Slovak Metal Army

Track listing
1. Awakening (The Suite) 1:42
2. Far Beyond The Stars 4:19
3. Travelers 4:10
4. Skúsime To Cez Vesmír (Tublatanka cover) 4:24
5. Far Beyond The Stars (Piano Version) 5:08

Deluxe Digital Version bonus track
6. Dawn Of War (2009 Demo Version) 5:47

Band members
Simona – vocals
Derick – growls
LukeN – guitars
Viktor – bass
Jarthuusen – keyboards
Jan – drums