It is rather obvious that a band with such a name cannot walk the delicate fields of guttural ultrasonic Grind. Neither can they deliver offerings of unholy ritualistic archaic Folk Black Metal. It is probably safe to say that they play some kind of... ...Nightwish, oops, I mean Symphonic Metal. They even have a frontwoman. Hmm, I am probably right on the classification without even listening to a single note.
The band was formed in June 2002 by drummer Yuri, guitarist Bill and vocalist Slava. Anna joined as a keyboard player during 2003 and so did their first bass player Kostya. Since then they have manage to play several gigs supporting some really big names (Nightwish, Helloween, Yngwie Malmsteen etc.). The Dreamworld EP is their first recording.
Out of dozens of clones, Operatika seems to be the one with the strongest personality. Though the opener brings in mind She's My Sin (well, mostly the opening riff), I admit that the band tries hard to detach the Nightwish stamp from their music. Vocalist Slava Popova has a very strong voice - it couldn't be any other possible way. Wise enough the band focuses on strength thus the guitar of Bill Visser can be considered the dominant instrument (after the vocals, of course). Packed with a bold production, this Demo EP really impressed me with the professionalism of the band.
If I had to examine Nightwish's history and pinpoint the matching timeline of Operatika, I would say that they mostly bring in mind the Wishmaster period of the leading band. Time will tell if Operatika will break away and follow a story of their own. It is obvious that as musicians they do have what it takes. For the moment I strongly suggest them to the fans of Symphonic Metal.