The all-female four piece *ensemble / group / band* EXIT EDEN unites all attributes ascribed to the new millennium: cosmopolitan, self-confident, independent and ready to do their very own thing. The four singers Amanda Somerville, Clémentine Delauney, Marina La Torraca and Anna Brunner have a very diverse vocal tones and techniques, that go from opera style to raspy rock. These talented ladies wanted to show the world with EXIT EDEN that that almost every classic song can be transformed into a solid metal-rock song.  We know Amanda and Marina from their success with AVANTASIA, and Clementine as the current front woman of VISION OF ATLANTIS.

EXIT EDEN's debut, "Rhapsodies In Black", was released on August 4 via Napalm Records and is home to a colorful mix of international super hits from RIHANNA to MADONNA, from DEPECHE MODE to ADELE, and many more. Still and all, it's miles away from being just a cover album. Besides the appeal of hearing non-metal hits be ingeniously transformed into symphonic metal operas, "Rhapsodies In Black" could very well be an album of its own. Hell... if I didn't knew the original songs I could have swore that this is their original piece of art. All the songs, even if extremely different in style in their original form, are so incredibly cohesive and powerful.

The album opens with DEPECHE MODE's classic "A Question Of Time" where the techno beat is replaced by rich vocals and a cinematic tapestry. RIHANNA's "Unfaithful", originally a slow piano ballad, is now an edgy symphonic metal power anthem. These ladies do a remarkable job, and I for one am in awe, but then again, EXIT EDEN might be an acquired taste if you are not particularly a fan of mixing pop and metal. Amanda, Clementine, Marina and Anna's voices blend together really well, they created something extraordinary and powerful with their take on pop hits.