Blog Post
Eternal Idol - 'Renaissance'
Iain McArthur • 9 November 2020
Album Review
Here is an album that does far more than it says on the tin. It’s billed as symphonic rock, and it does do that, but the songs here are far from generic and there’s also plenty melodic rock and power metal stylings going on as well in a nicely varied album.
I’ll get to the two big symphonic epics later but you should maybe try “Black Star” or “Dark Eclipse” first as these are perhaps the two most accessible tunes, with the vocal gymnastics dialled down just a little. “Without Fear” is another; it starts orchestrally but once the drums double-kick in, it dials up the power nicely.
The lead single is the majestic and baroque epic “Into The Darkness” which has a suitably cinematic video to go with it. In true symphonic style, the song showcases the theatrical ‘Beauty & The Beast’ vocal performances from the male and female leads and I’ve always wondered if musical theatre aficionados who appreciate stuff like ‘Les Miserables’ or ‘Phantom of the Opera’ could get into this style of music if they could handle the power of rock? In this case, ‘the beast’ is Fabio Lione who has a very impressive pedigree from Rhapsody of Fire, Angra and others and he’s joined by the less experienced but equally impressive Claudia Layline. They both shine on the slower “Away From Heaven” which really highlights the quality of their voices.
Fabio, of course, has the roar (and mane) of a lion and he harnesses it well on his showcase “Flying Over You” which is built on a fine riff over the top of some synth ‘parps’. Claudia gets her turn in the spotlight with “The Edge”. She adds a subtle huskiness to her vocal in parts of what is probably the most melodic tune on display.
The man behind this vision is Nick Savio, who wrote the songs and orchestrations as well as playing guitar and keys. He puts everything he’s got into the epic nine and a half minute title track “Renaissance” which ebbs and flows through several varied symphonic movements and is a masterpiece of the genre.
This release might have been overlooked by some as it is part of a particularly high quality batch from Frontiers this month, including some big name artists. That would be a shame as it really deserves an audience and I would certainly encourage you to give it a try if you like a bit of bravura theatrical rock.