When a band is female fronted and the label Symphonic Metal comes beside the music discription then NIGHTWISH come to mind. This reflex immediately lower the possible expectations present by the MAGICA moniker in the promo CD artwork. Indeed, I only knew this band as name and never had the chance or interest to get acquainted with them. So, the band's fourth full length release was meant to be my first audio introduction to their music.
The album opener is Don't Wanna' Kill that enters with a real catchy guitar riff that has nothing to do with Symphonic Metal. This track falls almost in the Melodic Power Metal category with a hearty guitar based structure. Ana Mladinovic is the name behind the voice and with relief I can say that is not a Tarjia wanna be. On the contrary, her vocals come with a Hard Rock backbone and sometimes with a Gothic layer.
The keyboards play an important rule in MAGICA's music adding depth and atmosphere in the songs but do not follow the pompous orchestration path that is usually found in pure Symphonic Metal releases. Actually, if I hadn't read the band's biography I would not use the Symphonic Metal label at all because the songs are straightforward through the classic Heavy Metal looking glass with distinct guitar riffs and catchy vocal melodies. Hold On Tight is the perfect example of my saying with the addictive tempo and the most melodic keyboards fills that accompany perfectly Ana's crystal clear and powerful vocals. Her classical background comes forward in the high pitches where her soprano vocal character takes over.
One thing that spoiled the very good impression of this album was the mix/production that sometimes sounds uneven and rather weak to handle the melodic and the heavier parts. Of course this is clearly a matter of taste but sometimes the drums were lost under the weight of the vocal lines and others the guitar solo was buried beneath the rhythm section.
So, to wrap it up this is a very good album for the fans of this genre who will find mainly Euro Power Metal songs spiced up by the very good female vocals and memorable guitar leads and fills. Below you can watch the All Waters Have The Colour Of Drowning video clip from the Hereafter album.