FemMetal’s Rating
“Genesis of Time” scored 8.2 out of 10 on FemMetal’s rating chart.
The new album by Scarlet Aura will be out on the 10th of September. “Genesis of Time” will conclude the trilogy based on vocalist Aura Daniculescu’s book series: ‘The Book of Scarlet’. This will round up the journey that began with the release of “Hot’n’Heavy” in 2018 followed by last year’s “Stormbreaker”.
It is safe to say Scarlet Aura is not like any other band, especially when it comes to the general label of “Power Metal” among modern bands, who sometimes fall into the bait of making a song with, dare I say, basic verses that are mere vessels towards the catchy anthem-esque chorus. The complex song structure in the songs of “Genesis of Time”, as well as the organic build-up to the choruses, puts into display the hard work this band puts into making music that would be appealing the first time you listen to it, as well as the nth (where n is a positive integer).
We also see in “Genesis of Time” how the band does not excessively depend on keyboard-based sound effects to add the cinematic or epic feel into the music. The atmosphere is mainly added through instrumental intros, outros, and bridges that set the mood on the right path needed for the story to be told. This does not only make the album richer in Metal music but also gives the cinematics and sound effects more significance, in contrast to the case where they’d be overused. An example of that is how the album opened with the instrumental track, ‘The Book of Scarlet’. The 6-minute track is very impressive in how it sets the course for the rest of the album with some brilliant guitar music and an exciting melody that made me think of the 80s and early 90s intros to movies.
One thing we can feel has quite matured from Scarlet Aura’s previous releases is the production. I’m not saying that there was anything wrong with the production of the previous albums. The opposite is true as it has always been a strength in their work. Silver is good, but gold is better. We can notice in “Genesis of Time” some small details that we probably wouldn’t have felt the absence of, however, their existence made the delivery of the well-written songs even better. In “Frostbite”, for example, towards the end of the song and as the magnificent epic music is playing, we hear that choir sound along with the melody. Add to that the timing and length of guitar solos, and the contrast in speed and harshness of the songs.
And we can’t review a Scarlet Aura album without mentioning how great Aura Danciulescu’s vocals are. As in the previous albums, Aura continues to impress with a voice that I consider as one of the best in Heavy Metal. The way she drives the lyrics with the Metal music in the background as well as her wonderous performance on songs like “The Black Roses” and “In The Line of Fire” is amazing.
One other remarkable thing to look for in “Genesis of Time” is that gorgeous guitar solo on track 11, “Wings of Light”.
“Genesis of Time” is an exciting album that fans of Power Metal and progressive music, in general, will enjoy. Look out for Scarlet Aura’s new album as it will be released via Silver City Records on the 10th of this month.
We recently interviewed Aura Danciulescu and asked her about the upcoming album.
