Reviews of Netherworld
Ravenheart Review of Netherworld
ARAPACIS..'NETHERWORLD'
(Ravenheart Music) Reviewed 7th December 2011
Arapacis was formed by
guitarist Jerry Fielden in Montreal, Canada, in 2003 with the goal of fusing
together 70's hard rock and prog with modern gothic, prog and doom metal to form
a unique metal fusion, hence they cite their influences as Deep Purple to Rush
to Leaves Eyes to Dream Theater to Candlemass, quite a portfolio. This is their
third album, following on from 'So Many Leapers' in 2006 and 2009's
'Consequences of Dreams'. Out front is red hot flame haired Lizzie Fyre who can
not only really belt it but also has a lovely French vibrato, rather like
Belinda Carlisle but with extra oomph. First spin shows that compared to their
previous efforts they don't bounce between their extremes as much, but generally
opt for a more conventional hard rocking style. The production is also much
improved, the murk has cleared and it sounds far more refined. Highlights are
the awesome catchy driving rockers 'End of the Line', 'Horror Show' and
'Unbirth' that remind me of The Dictators. 'Lords of Clouds' and 'The
Affliction', as befits their titles, have a more doom and Black Sabbath vibe,
while 'Beautifully Blind' is a lovely Jethro Tull esque acoustic ballad with
some super violin. The most singular and striking number is 'Crisis' which is
far more prog metal and marks the welcome appearance of synths courtesy of Guy
LeBlanc (Camel, Nathan Mahl), adding some much needed variety to the sound, it
has some surprising changes of tempo, and as to what the syncopated key
signature is, the mind boggles. On 'Beneath Me' they have an ill-advised bash at
death/black metal, quite why Lizzie wants to risk her voice and hence her career
by growling and screaming goodness only knows, this is the one song that should
have been binned, it does not fit in at all. I'm baffled why the
unrepresentative 'Crisis' is the lead single, it's a great song but people will
think they're a prog metal band with keyboards, a radio edit of 'Unbirth' would
be the more obvious choice. I say radio edit because this and the ballad have
unnecessarily extended heavy endings, I'm a strong believer in the KISS method,
no, not Gene Simmons and his painted pals, but keep it simple stupid, especially
when the songs themselves are so good and stand on their own merits, less can be
more. On the other hand the final instrumental 'Dark Days Ahead' sounds like a
terrific intro to an unfinished epic, this really does need developing.
Throughout the album Jerry provides lashing of expert shredding, and in Lizzie
they have a unique, stunning and outstanding singer. Netherworld sees marked
improvement in every department, and they have in the main curtailed their
excesses to create a far more consistent and polished album with some excellent
songs. Initiallly available digitally with the physical release expected early
in 2012, this is more for fans of traditional heavy metal and classic heavy
rock, their Netherworld lies here, a much improved 8.5/10 (Phil)
http://www.ravenheartmusic.com/products-group-95.html
ARAPACIS-Netherworld
(Ravenheart Music)
Welcome to the third album by Montreal, Canada based band
ARAPACIS. They take you on a journey through various styles in nine brand new
tracks and forty-five minutes of rock music. “End Of The Line” already shows,
that the band very easily mixes different styles with each other. The main
ingredient is rock or metal, but some serious side steps are made here as well.
The hard core like screams in this opener for example are not really expected by
yours truly at all, but they are there alright. The guitar solo sounds great and
the riffs are heavy. Lizzie’s vocals remind me of Gigi Hangach (formerly PHANTOM
BLUE singer) at times, only less screaming. A similar vocal sound appears in
“Horror Show”, that has some very heavy riffs accompanying it. The guitar solo
is once again the eye-catcher here and I just love the sound of the cow bell. It
gives it a certain retro twist, that I very much like. “Lord Of The Clouds” is a
lengthy and epical tale. It starts with some heavy doomy guitars. This is
officially the first doom track by ARAPACIS, I guess and a damn good one, too.
Some of the grunt vocals are maybe a bit too much, but I think that this song
can easily be added among the highlights on this new silver disc for me.
“Crisis” feels good, because of the progressive feeling in this song and the
keyboards, that fit very well on a song like this. “Unbirth” sounds very catchy
and the instrumental part lifts it up to a higher level. In “The Affliction”,
Lizzie shows us, that she can scream out loud as well. It mixes well with the
heavy groove of the song. Just listen to the heavy riffs in this track. The
solo, that Jerry provides here, is simply high class! Then the time has arrived
to slow things down a bit for the ballad, which is called “Beautifully Blind”.
It sounds very attractive and shows that these people can be sensitive at times,
too - in case you doubted this. Jerry however needed to put some powerful guitar
explosions into this track and I must say, that I liked this a lot. How huge is
the gap, that you have to jump over to soak up a song like “Beneath Me”? This is
death metal with grunts and haunting rhythms. Nobody can make an unexpected
switch like that, I guess. It’s truly amazing though how they handle a song like
that. The fast and fieriness, that they play this song is really amazing and you
can hardly imagine that this is the same band, that almost made you cry of deep
emotional feelings in the previous song on this album. The last track is called
“Dark Days Ahead” and is a very sober and short instrumental outro and
completely different from what we’ve heard until now. The variety of songs is
endless on this album and I am sure, that everybody will easily find something
for his or her taste here. The songs are great and performed by high class
musicians, so high five and both thumbs up again for ARAPACIS. I wonder, who is
going to open his eyes and make this band come over to Europe for some shows. I
think, they will please a lot of people. Until that happens, I will give this
album another spin or two and take another trip to ARAPCIS’ “Netherworld”.
ARAPACIS is Lizzie Fyre on vocals, Jerry Fielden on guitar, keyboards, bass and
mandolin and Matthieu Roy on drums. Website: http://www.arapacis.com. [9 points]
(Toine van Poorten)
http://www.metalmaidens.com/Cdreviews2z.htm
Artist: Arapacis
CD
Review: NETHERWORLD
By: Dan Brisebois
The third album from Montreal's
Arapacis is a continuation of an assault on everything you've come to understand
heavy metal to be - nine originals that make you take notice.
The lineup
is streamlined to a trio - with Lizzie Fyre on vocals, guitarist Jerry Fielden,
and drummer Mathieu Roy, along with a host of guest studio musicians.
Most of the songs on NETHERWORLD are too long (and WAY too heavy) for
conventional radio play, but that fits into the apparent game plan just fine.
The songs simply have too much going for them to restrain them to under three
and a half minutes - designed for appreciation, not heard then forgotten. With
each listen you take home something new.
"Lord of the Clouds" rings in at
seven minutes, a mini-epic with a haunting guitar solo and solid backbeat that
highlights one of the hardest-working bands on the circuit. Other songs like the
lead-off "End of the Line," "Crisis," and "Beneath Me" are pure energy - frantic
fretwork that carefully doesn't cross the line of monotony.
The grungy
screaming won't be for everyone, but songs like "The Affliction" and "Beneath
Me" showcase Fyre's vocal prowess - what some might consider the epitome of the
next generation of Canadian rockers, a new standard that's being set and will be
hard to match.
With the acoustic renderings in "Beautifully Blind,"
"Unbirth," and the instrumental "Dark Days Ahead" (the only tune under three
minutes), the songs show a band that's matured, but still growing. They're
comfortable in their own skin, and is now simply evolving, reaching for new
plateaus.
http://www.canadianbands.com/Arapacis.html
Album: Netherworld (2011)
Note:
7.7/10
Style : Progressive Gothic Metal
Compagnie : Ravenheart
Music
Format : CD
Liste des pistes :
1. End of the Line
2. Horrow Show
3. Lords of Clouds
4. Crisis
5. Unbirth
6. The
Affliction
7. Beautifully Blind
8. Beneath Me
9. Dark Days Ahead
Auteur : Albert Lamoureux
Après deux ans d’attente ainsi
qu’après de multiples changements de personnel au niveau de la section
rythmique, le groupe montréalais Arapacis nous offre finalement leur troisième
album intitulé ‘Netherworld’. Le noyau du groupe est toujours composé de Jerry
Fielden à la guitare (et à la basse sur l’album) ainsi que de Lyzzie Fyre au
chant. Nous retrouvons maintenant Mathieu Roy à la batterie.
Dès l’écoute
du titre ‘End of the Line’, nous remarquons que la musique du groupe est
toujours constituée du mélange des styles progressif et métal. Nous avons droit
à une lourde mélodie de guitare qui s’oppose bien à la voix de Lyzzie. Les cris
au style death que l’on retrouve dans le refrain sont surprenants, mais ne sont
pas déplaisants. En plus d’une mélodie de guitare entrainante, nous retrouvons
aussi l’omniprésence d’une cloche à vache dans le titre ‘Horror Show’.
Malheureusement pour ce dernier, l’utilisation abusive de cette cloche à vache
prend beaucoup trop de place et relègue au second plan l’excellent travail de
Mathieu à la batterie. Les amateurs de la musique doom seront ravis d’entendre
le titre ‘Lord of the Clouds’. La lenteur de son rythme et la lourdeur de ses
guitares véhiculent une atmosphère sinistre qui s’agence parfaitement avec le
style vocal de Lyzzie. Comme nous pouvons le remarquer à l’écoute du titre
‘Crisis’, le groupe ne néglige pas ses influences progressives. Il est donc
normal de retrouver les claviers (gracieuseté de Guy LeBlanc du groupe Camel) au
premier plan de ce titre énergique. Il est aussi plaisant de voir que les
multiples changements de rythmes s’enchainent à perfection sans nuire la
fluidité de la musique. La voix de Lyzzie est le point central des titres ‘The
Affliction‘, ‘Beautifully Blind’ et ‘Beneath Me’. Elle est capable de nous
offrir une performance agressive sur la première pièce tandis que l’émotivité
prend le dessus dans sa prestation sur ‘Beautifully Blind’. La surprise provient
cependant de sa prestation vocale sur le titre ‘Beneath Me’. Le style death
qu’elle préconise est tellement différent que l’on pourrait penser que c’est
l’œuvre d’une chanteuse invitée spécifiquement pour ce titre. Aussi plaisante
soit-elle, cette pièce semble provenir d’un autre album tellement elle est
différente du reste de la musique de ce disque. Ce dernier se termine avec la
mélancolique pièce instrumentale intitulée ‘Dark Days Ahead’. Même si la musique
est très bonne, elle semble inachevée et aurait davantage sa place en
introduction d’un morceau plus complexe au lieu de clore l’album.
Tout
comme les albums précédents du groupe, ‘Netherworld’ saura plaire aux amateurs
de musique progressive et métal. Mais à notre grande surprise, nous y retrouvons
aussi quelques compositions pour les amateurs de musique plus agressive. L’album
se démarque cependant de ses prédécesseurs par la maturité des compositions, la
qualité de la production ainsi que l’excellent travail de Jerry à la guitare.
http://www.metaluniverse.net/lire_critique.php?id=2174
//you're reading...
MUSIC REVIEWS
New Album Review: AraPacis ‘Netherworld’
POSTED BY LITTLE
QUEEN ⋅ MAY 8, 2012 ⋅ 1 COMMENT
FILED UNDER ARAPACIS, NETHERWORLD
1 Vote
AraPacis – ‘Netherworld’
AraPacis:
Lizzie Fyre: Vocals
Jerry
Fielden: Guitars, bass, mandolin, keyboards and arrangements
Matt Roy: Drums
and arrangements
I have to say, Canada puts out some of the best music on
the planet and AraPacis is no different. Hailing from Montreal and fronted by
one of the best female metal singers I’ve heard in a while, AraPacis’s new album
‘Netherworld’ is anything but your average metal album.
Named after a
famous monument in Rome, a brief history of the band, as provided by their
Facebook page: “AraPacis (Ara-Patches) is a female fronted metal band hailing
from Montreal, Canada. Formed in 2003 by guitarist Jerry Fielden, their main
goal was to re-create some of the original aspects of 1970′s Hard Rock and
Progressive Rock and fuse it together with early 21st Century Prog Metal, Doom
Metal & Metalcore to make an interesting metal hybrid. Their debut album ‘‘So
Many Leapers’’ was released in April of 2006. and their second album
‘‘Consequences Of Dreams’’ was released on October 5, 2009. The band has now
released their 3rd album, “Netherworld” – the digital version came out on Dec.
19, 2011 and the CD version came out in February2012.”
I don’t know about
everyone else, but when I think about heavy metal music, I think drums, heavy
guitars and bass, and a lot of screaming. Rarely do we get to be enchanted with
a heavy metal album that takes it’s music to farther realms. Incorporating
acoustic guitars, keyboards, and vocals that do more than just scream,
‘Netherworld’ goes beyond the normal expectations of most metal albums. In fact,
simply calling this album a heavy metal album really doesn’t do it any kind of
justice. I would say this album is a mix of metal/progressive/experimental rock
and roll, mixed with something that cannot be described, only experienced.
Some of the tracks can be sampled on the AraPacis website, but I would
highly encourage metal fans to purchase the entire album, just to get the full
experience. Below are 7 videos from the band’s website, giving listeners a
chance to see for themselves just how special this album is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c27cVdiQwRY&feature=player_embedded
http://littlequeenmusic.com/2012/05/08/new-album-review-arapacis-netherworld/
Chronique Des filles et
des riffs
Arapacis - Netherworld
Style : metal prog - Note :
15,5/20
Voilà le 3ème album d'Arapacis, groupe canadien officiant dans un
genre metal prog influencé par les années 70 et 80. Avec Netherworld, Jerry et
sa bande continue sur leur lancée tout en faisant montre d'une belle
évolution...
En effet, si leur style progressif se ressent toujours dans
les changements de rythmes et les solos typiques du genre, les compositions ont
gagné en maturité et en efficacité.En outre, le côté plus extrême et moderne que
l'on entrevoyait déjà dans Consequences of dreams est ici exploré plus en
profondeur, avec des passages metalcore, doom/stoner ou encore gothic. Le tout
est vraiment diversifié, et, je ne sais pas si cela est dû au changement de
batteur, plus groovy. Ajoutons également, que la production est bien meilleure
que sur le précédent album qui souffrait d'un son un peu trop "brut".
Un des
éléments phare d'Arapacis, c'est Lizzie, la chanteuse. Celle-ci avait quitté le
groupe un temps, et c'est un plaisir de la voir à nouveau ici, ou plutôt de
l'entendre ! Elle évolue dans un registre plutôt bluesy mais sait varier les
plaisirs, proposant des growls puissants et gutturaux, des cris aigus plus black
metal ou encore une voix douce et lègement hantée dans la jolie balade
acoustique Beautifully Blind. Une belle performance !
Voilà donc une
évolution extrêmement positive : si le groupe continue ainsi, le 4ème album
risque d'être vraiment des plus intéressants ! Netherworld, un album à découvrir
!
http://www.desfillesetdesriffs.fr/chroniques/arapacis_netherworld.html
ARAPACIS
'Netherworld'
RAVENHEART
Turn back time to the year 2011 and experience the Canadian
Hard Rock / Heavy Doom Metal ensemble Arapacis dropping their third album
'Netherworld', featuring more of the same beautiful crafted music experienced on
their previous album 'Consequences of Dreams', Arapacis prove once again they
practice what they preach. Wallowing in the depths of early Doom Metal bands
like Black Sabbath and adding a Progressive element to it, resulting in a slow
and percussive sound that is thicker than the thickest Canadian syrup ever
found. In fact, 'Netherworld' summons a sound so original it is quite surprising
why this lot have not exploded over Europe yet. The great thing about
'Netherworld' is that it appeals to a wide range of tastes, from the classic
rocking tune of 'Crisis' to the melancholic and chilling sermon 'Lords of the
Clouds', 'Netherworld' is a soundtrack of epic proportions.
[8.5]
RHYS STEVENSON
http://globalmetalapocalypse.weebly.com/39/post/2013/05/gma-vol142.html
REVIEWS
Jan 9, 2013
AraPacis – “Netherworld” (2012)
Label : Ravenheart Music
Review by Tony Cannella
The Montreal, Canada based
progressive, gothic metal band AraPacis were formed in 2003. In 2006 they
released their debut “So Many Leapers” and followed that up in 2009 with
“Consequences of Dreams”. On their first two albums they made it clear that they
have a wide range of influences. AraPacis returns with their third album. So
without further adieu, let’s enter the “Netherworld”.
“End of the Line” kicks
things off with an infectious and melodic guitar riff. Lead vocalist Lizzie Fyre
alternates between a clean singing voice and an extreme style. She does that
just about as well as anyone, it is not a technique that is overused, she only
does this on a couple of songs. “Horror Show” is a straight-forward song, based
around a simplistic heavy metal riff and the high vocals of Lizzie Fyre. “Lord
of the Clouds” is next and it is reminiscent of Swedish doom metallers
Candlemass. It’s definitely got a slow, heavy and doomy vibe to it, except for
the thrashy part near the end. At 7-minutes, this is the longest song and my
favorite. Other highlights: “Unbirth”, the great ballad “Beautifully Blind” and
the closing instrumental “Dark Days Ahead”. For the most part, “Netherworld”
maintains a good hard rock and metal pace, while also veering off into Gothic,
Doom and Progressive territories at times.
I’m not sure where this will
stack up compared to their previous material, but “Netherworld” does maintain a
level of consistency that their die-hard fan base should love. AraPacis are fast
becoming one of the best bands out of the Canadian metal scene.
Rating – 84/100
Tracklist
End of the
Line
Horror Show
Lord of the Clouds
Crisis
Unbirth
The Affliction
Beautifully Blind
Beneath Me
Dark Days Ahead
Line Up
Lizzy Fyre –
Vocals
Jerry Fielden –
Guitar, Bass, Mandolin & Keyboards
Mathieu Roy – Drums
http://www.femmemetalwebzine.net/2013/01/09/arapacis-netherworld-2012/
Metal-Rules.com
Arapacis
Netherworld
February 2013
Released: 2012, Indie
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP
When I was introduced to the band,
Arapacis by some industry people, their music really caught my ear. I got in
touch and they were nice enough to send me a copy of their album, NETHERWORLD.
They are a Metal trio from Quebec and this is actually their third album. The
band is on Ravenheart and the band and the label did a good job of presentation.
I really like the album cover, the back cover of the little girl playing with
the vulture was a nice touch. The production is decent enough and the packaging
is not too adventurous but quite satisfactory. The band name is taken from the
historical monument and is roughly translated as 'The Bridge Of Peace'.
My immediate impression was that the band have not defined
a signature sound. You could pick any three songs at random on the album and
they do not sound like the other two. The band covers the gambit of Hard Rock,
with the cowbell driven good times of ‘Horror Show’, to the full-on Sabbath
inspired doom on the track’ Lord Of The Clouds’ to the more modern
thrash/metalcore inspired tune of ‘Beneath Me’. Seriously, this thing is all
over the map. It is certainly a very schizophrenic listening experience and
NETHERWORLD is far more a collection of very well songs and not a cohesive album
by any means.
Fortunately, the band shifts between
Metal sub-genres with slippery ease; making the transitions palatable. Each
style they try, they do a very good job at writing in that style. The album is
also quite atmospheric at times as well. The album ends with a shorter
instrumental (mostly) which is acoustic guitar, some slightly chanted (that
might not even be the right term) vocals and a gorgeous vocal line by singer
Lizzie who demonstrates her soprano-like range. She has a sweet voice that can
go from an Angela Gossow-like shriek to the aforementioned soprano at the drop
of a hat. She has some pretty phenomenal talent.
Ultimately, NETHERWORLD is a very Metal album. There is
lots of guitar, even a bit power Metal-ish in places, some fast songs, some slow
songs, some grinders, some rockers, and it all kinda swirls around in this
cauldron of brew and when you take a sip you never quite know what you are going
to get, but you know it tastes (and sounds) good. It’s a strong album, with
loads of character and charisma, and after my initial hesitation, I’ve grown to
really enjoy this diverse, and well-executed album.
http://www.metal-rules.com/review/viewreview.php?month=February&year=2013&pos=6