Hailing for Istanbul, Turkey, not necessarily known for their vast metal scene on the worldwide level yet many bands are making their names in the underground scene. I am really happy to listen to something from a country I am not familiar with obviously so here it goes...I actually believe this is the first time I have heard or listened to a band from Turkey, Metal or not so I am not entirely sure what I am going to hear...Oh boy, we are entering the world of Operatic Symphonic Metal, which is almost a subgenre when you come to think of it. Obviously the roots of the genre is NIGHTWISH without a shadow of a doubt, their are the forefathers (and foremother?) of the genre. They established that sound back in the mid to late nineties and so many bands have copied for better or worse. The thing that gave them such a unique sound is the dual vocalist with Tarja Turunen with the unmistakable voice of Marko Hietala,

Yet...ORPHARION only has operatic vocals and that might be a bit a bit too much for the common listener, especially me. I actually do not mind the operatic vocals, hell, it took me a few decades to really get over it. I guess I wasn't overly prepared back in 1999 come to think of it. I have grown into really liking the dual vocalist bands that have a female soprano singer like EPICA and VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, two bands that have become staples of my playlists throughout the last decade or so. But in hindsight, you need that male vocalist to contrast the powerful style of female vocals. You have to have something that completes it, yet, not overtake it, Michele Guaitoli easily completes Clementine Delaunay in VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, same thing for the harsh vocals of Mark Jansen in EPICA that completes the magnificence of Simone Simons. The album cover is top notch, one of the most beautiful album covers I have seen all year by far, it catches your eye at the first millisecond you see it, it's absolutely outstanding.

You know what I can probably be able to be subjective at best, this album is actually not bad, it feels a bit incomplete because of the lack of diversity in the vocal part of it but you have a solid production and some solid musicianship throughout. There is a lot of talent out there and some remarkable potential throughout even though it does lack some direction at times. I think adding another singer could benefit the band but you see the seeds of a very promising band in a genre that needs some fresh blood.