Fatima Hill - Aion

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Worldchaos Productions
Catalog Number: KDM-008
Format: CD
Total Time: 47:34:00

I was very impressed with the promotional aspects of this band when I first received the disc. The artwork is impressive, and the band deems itself as "Female Poetic Opus Metal". This is certainly enough cause to stop and listen to what this band has to say.

Unfortunately, it's not doing much for these ears. The band is Japanese, and after listening to the disc a couple of times, I'd say that the band borders on progressive metal, but seems to want to stick with traditional metal. I think they are a bit as confused as I am as to exactly what they are. It's a female vocal-led band, and I have to admit that she has one of the most different voices I've heard in some time. She seems to be an operatic singer with a tone somewhere between Geddy Lee and a male melodic singer. The lyrics are put together in a way that prevents her from being totally heard, especially with the Japanese accent.

The band itself it quite talented, providing many moments of metal mixed in with acoustical passages and even mandolins on occasion. The keyboards are well balanced throughout the disc but seem to get overshadowed by the guitars. The guitars are certainly metal based while the music seems to be some sort of metal / prog rock hybrid at times. I cannot compare this band to anyone else, as I don't have a comparison in my head, giving this uniqueness right off the bat. I wish I could hear the lyrics a bit more, and I definitely have trouble with the female tone.

Those with an affinity towards listening to very different music would do well to check this band out, but I warn about the female vocals. They are certainly different, but very "strange" to the ears. Her vibrato is fast, and the tone mixtures do a job on the ears after a few songs.

The production is VERY dry; I repeat, DRY. There isn't an ounce of added production values here to be found, and personally I find "poetic opus metal" should have some huge depth to it, which there is none to be found here.

If the band decided on a certain direction, there could be some potential here. I'm not sure which direction they want to go in, or be in, but it's definitely in the progressive metal / rock category. There isn't a song that repeats itself, and with each song you get something different. Overall, there isn't much power to hold this disc up or make it multi-listenable, but there is something here to be said about uniqueness.

Tracklisting:
Ares Dragon (6:05) / Babel Dune (3:58) / The Black Bat (4:23) / Aeon (4:24) / Ultimata (6:37) / Other (6:24) / Stigmata (6:24) / The Song For Beatrice Part 3 (The Seven Songs) (9:20)

Musicians:
Yuko - voice and chorus
Anjue Yamashiro - guitars, electric mandolin
Takamichi Koeda - keyboards
Hayato Asano - bass

Discography:
Valhalla (1997)
Aion (2002)
The Snow Tower (2009)

All Rain All Friends All Rain Song And Rain (DVD) (2005)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin JP

Added: June 26th 2002
Reviewer: Larry "LarryD" Daglieri

Artist website: www.fatima-hill.com
Hits: 2552
Language: english