CD Info
2011
Self Released
10 Tracks
English Lyrics

When it comes to beautiful Gothic, the French do some of the best. Bands like Dark Sanctuary do it with a serious classical direction. Others, like Whyzdom, use a little more metal, but the classical is never far away. Opus Doria seems to be somewhere in the middle, there is a heavy dose of the classical, with a variety of musicians and instruments, and a solid soprano delivering the vocals. However, they do make use of some metal, some strong guitars and drums, not as pronounced as Whyzdom, but more pronounced than Dark Santuary. And they do make use of all those additional components that, to me, make Gothic the wonderful musical direction that it is. We get a near overwhelming symphonic, provided through keyboards and strings. The vocalist could work in pretty much any opera environment, and she has that extra talent to utilize that classical capability in a metal environment, not something every soprano can accomplish. And that’s just the beginning.

So you get the idea that this is classical stuff, a keen observation of the obvious there. We have three women in starring roles. Maela Vergnes, chant or, as we say in the semi civilized colonies, lead vocalist. And she is a good one, no, a great one. Flavie Nicogossian works the cello and Laura Nicogossian, I guess they’re sisters or somehow related, another keen observation of the obvious, eh? Anyway, she handles those blinding keyboards, and Lord, they are good. I should point out that the ladies do sing together, creating their own choral component, another typical requirement for top flight Gothic. Guitars and drums are a male dominated domain, Alexandre Warot on lead with Yannick Hubert on basse.. . as they say in France. Drums are provided by Jon Erviti, and they play a pronounced part in most tracks, but not all.

Well, we have a not completely out of the ordinary musical capability for this type of music, so what is it about this work that makes it so much better. Well, for starters, you get a relatively broad musical influence from some pretty good classical musical styles. The band lists a number of them ranging from medieval, baroque (Vivaldi, Bach. . ), classical (Beethoven), romantic (Liszt, Puccini, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin) to modern and acknowledging the contemporary Gothic (Nightwish, Epica, Rhapsody, etc.) So, you pretty much know which way this is going, there’s not a lot of bad names on that list, unless you’re into rap and in that case what are you doing here? But just appreciating the classics won’t necessarily make for good music, you have to be able to write it, produce it and perform it, and Opus Doria seems to be more than adequate at each of those requirements. Even the band name was chosen to further elaborate on the focus of the sound: "opus" relates to the making of classical pieces with numbers while Doria relates to the dorian mode to suggest the modal sonorities found in medieval and baroque music. And what this all leads to is some of the most interesting Gothic I’ve had the privilege to listen to, you get a taste of it here, including a visual key. This is, of course, just an intro, a sneak peak, if you will, but you get a nice introduction to the outstanding music, and the people providing it.

The music seems to go back and forth to some extent, with some material focusing on the classical, other tracks utilizing more of the drums and guitars to provide a more metal sounding interpretation of the group’s musical interests. The Mission goes in the later direction, as this video indicates. But, you see the focus on the keys, and the vocals, talent that is not to be denied. And that cello provides something no other instrument can capture. There is, of course, the dramatic intro, and close, with horse beats to provide perspective. But it’s the vocal over that classical sound, augmented by the metal, that serves to define the track. This one is rather epic in direction, maybe a little different than the normative sound which tends more towards the Gothic, but you gotta love that cello. And the interplay of the cello with the keyboards and the guitar lend a sound that is just so perfect.

One of the most interesting sounds is The Cry of the Knight. Again, we get an epic perspective; we get a sound straight from a dark movie track. The song begins with a whispered lyric, which leads to that haunting vocal, one which is singular in its beauty. Here, the keyboards begin with a piano like sound, a soft accompaniment that serves to carry the vocal, as we relate a touching tale of saddened beauty. Again, the cello serves to offset the music while the metal brings highlights to the story. But, again it’s the vocal that provides a chilling vie à la musique. There is some solid metal, some guitar interspersed throughout the song. But, it’s the classical that serves to define the number.

On other numbers, there is a more solid metal component. The Quest begins with solid drums and guitars, but, in the background, we get that choral component that leads to the vocals. This becomes a baroque number, with metal influences. The choral work continues, it’s objective to set up those vocals, to augment that beautiful sound that drives the music. But here, we get solid drumming that underscores the symphonic. The lyrics take us into a Gothic search for meaning:

In the rambling of my mind
Dreams, visions or reality
Fanciful horizons
So many questions, so many doubts
I look for answers, some directions, where should I go
I carry on my quest, keeping my illusions, just my illusions

The Brain Machine takes one of the most Gothic directions, with one of the more classically Gothic musical directions. Again, there is a metal component throughout the track, but you tend to forget that sound as the music leads towards an ethereal interpretation of the lyric, which is nothing if not dark and mystifying.

Face to the ground and the bent back,
Deaf to the voices of heaven,
Lost blind men who walk in silence
Towards Hell
Let’s go to the battle with smiles on our lips
Neither reflections nor convictions retain us

The final track takes us to a sound with no vocals, one which continues with beautiful classical music for over 10 minutes. Now there are some background vocals, but no lyrics. If you liked that music from Lord of the Rings that established a remorseful, emotive feeling of well-being, this will be a classic for you. The track is called A Lost Planet, and here we get two things, beautifully composed music and music that is presented with an excellence that defines the work. It’s hard to believe that the old rock n roll I listened to 40 some years ago could morph to something like this. I guess us old rock n rollers did have some potential.

It’s clear that music reviewers tend to glorify that music that most appeals to them, individually. I mean, some people actually speak positively about rap. But, I was into the rock the day Elvis sang Hound Dog, so I’ve seen a lot of it. But, I’ve always appreciated the classical, especially when that classical was able to mesh with the metal. And, few sounds have done it this well. What we have here is certainly one of the finest interpretations of that capability I’ve ever heard, solid musicians with a vocal as good as anything I’ve ever heard. And the material only serves to highlight those capabilities. Given that level of accomplishment, it’s hard not to award it a 11, and hope this is only the first of many by this group.

Well done.

10 / 10

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