MEDEN AGAN was formed in 2005 in Paris, France. They released their first album, "Illusions", in 2007. Between then and now the band has taken a hiatus and had several lineup changes. In 2017 they entered the studio to do their fourth studio album "Catharsis". The band is recommended for fans of NIGHTWISH, WITHIN TEMPTATION, and EPICA. The album begins with an atmospheric intro called "Catharsis". It sets the mood for the rest of the album with operatic backing vocals and heavy organ instrumentals. It is a beautiful piece to start the album with and to pull listeners into the world of MEDEN AGAN.

"The Purge" comes in strong with heavy melodic guitars. Dimitra's vocals are clean and operatic that is reminiscent of WITHIN TEMPTATION. The song is a fast-paced track that blends the heavy drums and fast guitars nicely with the vocals. This track will have you tapping your feet along with the drum beat without you even knowing it. "No Escape" begins with a nice laid-back guitar riff. Taking its time and letting the listener appreciate the musicianship before it kicks in and speeds up to an almost thrash metal speed. The song suddenly drops back down to a slower more timid pace when the vocals come in. The song overall is a good song the quick changes in tempo threw me off a little.

"Shrine of Wisdom" is a very atmospheric song with killer guitar riffs. The vocals keep pace with the music and meld beautifully with it. Dimitra's clean operatic vocals draw in the listener and the music engulfs you. This track is my favorite on the album because it does so many different with the music and still holds true to the sound the band has. "Salvation" is another solid song on the album. Again, with this song the changes in tempo can take some getting used to. Just when you are into the fast-paced guitars it stops, and the song takes on a more somber slower tempo. This doesn't make the song bad, I just wish the band had more seamless transitions in their tempo. The vocals on this track are exceptional.

"Lustful Desires" comes out of the gate with heavy guitars, and keyboards. The tone the band creates with the keyboard interwoven with the guitar is a very interesting sound. The vocals keep pace nicely with the song and help to build it into a full experience. This track will the be the one you constantly come back to after it is over. "Weaver of Destiny" comes in with a demonic sounding whisper before the guitars roll through. Like other songs on this album this is a solid track from the band. A very atmospheric sound that they push to the limits. The vocals are clean and make the song seem grander with their scope.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Catharsis" from beginning to end. As I said before there are songs that I think suffer from the abrupt way that the tempo changes up, but once you get used to it the strangeness fades. Even though it is a very solid outing for the band I don't think they do anything new with the genre that they are in. I would have liked to see them push the sound into new places and experiment more. With such a good album I am afraid they will just get mixed in with all the other similar bands.