There are times when harmony is richer and thicker than any type of a riff based song. As a fan of rhythm guitars and total heaviness and power in Metal music, I present here something that has its fair share of roughness but in general it is ruled by the firm hand of something more delicate. L'ALBA DI MORRIGAN, the band's name is a mystery to me as I have no idea for what it stands for or its origin,  born and raised in a comfort zone in Italy, came up with a debut album, "The Essence Within", that will take your mind off things while letting you slide deep within different lines of thought and deliberations. The entire journey might not be all that easy, as it has a noisy edge to it, but the overall experience is magnificent, a little dark at times but with flickers of light.

Through the band's material that consisted a wide range of semi electric soft riffing to the side of a little heavyweight combustions of strength in the manner of A PERFECT CIRCLE and TOOL, there is a strong feel of a looming psychedelic entity al'a PINK FLOYD yet a little more alternative and into the valleys of late ANATHEMA. As for the darkness that dwells through the Elysian Fields, there is a sense that might hint of a light version of KATATONIA yet without the extremeness. If you were searching for a light in the dark or something soothing after a long day with all the troubles that surrounds it, the answer is right in front of your eyes, sorry I meant ears.

I was deeply touched by the closing story of "The Essence Within". The riffing was simple but exquisite and it seemed that not much of an effort was needed in the first place. There were frequent reprises of verses and bridges, yet those were highly enjoyable. The vocals were dreamy like on the entire album. The swarm of passion was just mesmerizing and made me shiver a little bit. I deem this one as the band's most creative work. "The Fairies' Circle" is one of the rough and heavier spots on the releases, especially with that ending Thrash like riffing that sums the track. However, I was more interested in the drama that went after the strong intro that is an amazing event of great musicianship and artistic nature. "Equilibrium" reminded me a bit of a heavier version to the Sid Barret years of PINK FLOYD. The band made a fine instrumental filled with easiness but also with shattering heavy spots of Alternative Metal.

I can go on and on with more examples, but I will save you the trouble this time because it is hard to explain a different kind of sensation. This album is a gift for anyone that seeks beyond the heaviness of Metal and into something that is both old and new in the same time. I say go for it fast and buy a copy today.