Radiance - CD Review
Undying Diabolyca

CD Info
2013
My Kingdom Music
9 Tracks
English Lyrics

Eclectic, electric, visual, atmospheric, ambient are some of the many adjectives one may use to describe Radiance. Upon first glance, it would be easy to stereotype them as “Symphonic” or “Goth.” But this is truly a band that fits no description. With tracks ranging in time from just over a minute and others drawn out to nearly nine, combining acoustic instrumentals with hard driving metal, Radiance is truly a band willing to take chances.

Radiance hails from Italy and was originally formed in 2004 and consisted entirely of female artists. A series of line-up changes have taken place over the years, and their current line-up is as follows: Fedrica Viola (Guitars), Karin Baldanza (Vocals), Fabio Accordian (Bass & Synth) and Elio Lao (Drums). In 2004 the band released their first EP, When the Night Comes Down. Undying Diabolyca is the band’s first full length CD, and was released in March of 2013 under the label of My Kingdom Music.

The first track entitled “Towards Doom” is a short ethereal composition with multi layered instrumentation. Its heavy Black Sabbath-esque riff is underpinned nicely by Viola’s melodic chord sweep and solid drumming from Lao. The track leaves the listener in a state of suspended animation, anticipating a resolution that only comes when almost inexplicably the track abruptly ends. Leading to the second track “Another Way, “which comes out of the box with a full head of steam and ironically sounds like it could have been a solid connecting verse to the previous track. After a strong introduction and a series of tonal shifts, the vocals enter with Baldanza sounding a bit shrill on her falsettos but as the track moves forward with yet more melodic augmentations, Baldanza transitions her vocals to more of a mid-range choral tone which seems to fit her well. With rapid-fire tonal shifts “Math Metal” may be the best way to describe this track. It should be noted that Viola shows off some seriously strong riffs and nice shredding throughout. Her verses are cleverly crafted and her tone is aesthetically pleasing to the ear. “Another Way” is a very complex piece that seems to lack focus but displays some very clever and catchy verses.

Track three entitled “Behind the Light” begins with ambient guitar line from Viola underpinned nicely by Accordian’s bass and synth. Baldanza displays some strong vocals on this track, then the band is off and running again transitioning back and forth effortlessly between catchy Riff Rock to Speed Metal with Lao’s drumming holding it all together. The next track “Strom” may be the track closest to being radio friendly as it starts with yet another fine guitar phrase from Viola, strong and catchy with Baldanza sounding very solid and at ease with her voice. The track features a bright and catchy chorus but again loses focus.

The next track “Resonance” may be my personal favorite of the CD. It begins with another melodic and pristine acoustic piece from Guitar Goddess Viola then flows into a nicely constructed and soulful guitar line that is backed tightly by the bass and drums. Unlike other tracks though, this on does not come unglued. The guitar phrase is tasteful, soulful and restrained.

Tracks 6-9 follow much of the same recipe: A bombastic introduction followed by rapid-fire tonal shifts. “Whirls Criterion” starts with an interesting keyboard riff with a somewhat neo classical aesthetic augmented by some nice solid guitar vamping, then launches into a solid looping guitar hook which packs a lot of punch. Then the band reverts back into streamlining verses making it difficult for the listener to maintain their attention. “Le Poison a La Mode” is a nice guitar riff oriented composition which is somewhat “Old School” in nature then transitions into a ‘Symphonic” vibe with Vocalist Baldanza displaying some nice tonal control. The track is punctuated at the end with some glossy production, which I’ll let the listener hear for themselves since like a movie, one never wants to give away the ending! “Undying Diabolyca”, the title track, is the eighth song of the CD. The track immediately launches into a guitar/drum salvo and features several tempo shifts. The drumming is excellent and Bladanza’s tonal control and vibrato are quite strong. The last song of the track is “Pulse of Anarchy,” a short composition featuring a visual synthesizer piece underpinned by some melodic guitar vamping.

Undying Diabolyca, while certainly not a radio friendly CD, features some outstanding musicianship by all four band members. There are flashes of pure brilliance, with dreamy if not hypnotic compositions, particularly “Towards Doom” and “Resonance.” The band certainly is not afraid to take chances and delivers some highly energetic passages throughout. However, their over indulgence at times created a disconnect, which left me at times struggling to maintain my attention.

The highlight for me was guitarist Viola, who in my opinion has the potential to stand toe to toe on a technical level with almost anybody in the industry. Her playing is crisp, dynamic, and well-constructed. By no means is she your typical shredder. And while perhaps a bit clinical at times with her runs, she displays a great deal of depth and emotes nicely with her acoustic and clean tone verses.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

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