There has been so much said about female vocalists in Metal and as a member of the male sex I always end up feeling like a sexist for stating that there are very few decent ones out there. That said, there are some decent ones and when I stumble across them, it makes me feel a little less like some kind of bigot. DIVINE ASCENSION have one of these women fronting them and not only is she a fantastic vocalist but the rest of the band sport some true musical talent. Hailing from Australia, they have been on the scene since 2007 and have made quite a name for themselves in their homeland.

Their second full length album "Liberator" is a fantastic journey through the symphonic, classic, and progressive elements of metal. The album opens with "Dawn Brings No Mercy" and the opening string section perfectly sets out their stall for the rest of the album. It sounds like it could have been lifted from a cut of DIMMU BORGIR that had been deemed a little too happy for release. The keyboards blend so well into the rest of the music and as the heavier elements of the guitars and drums come into the fray, it all just fits together so well.

It would be easy to draw comparisons to bands like LACUNA COIL or NIGHTWISH, but I won't be that mean. Maybe I will, just a little.
There is a heavy sense that this is what these bands could have been with slightly larger balls behind the music and I don't mean that in a man-balls kind of way. What I mean is that the music with DA has much more depth and the occasional ferocity that was essentially lacking from both LACUNA COIL and NIGHTWISH. I'm not saying that this is a particularly heavy album though and before you think this is something for the death lovers out there, you may want to reconsider. On the whole, the album is a brilliant middle of the road offering.

So if you are looking for something that can be played without offending anyone's ears then this is the one. Some beautiful vocal work (especially in the second song - "Stronger") and excellent musicianship make for a genuinely enjoyable listen.