The Depths Inside

Sanctorium

Here goes another female-fronted  Symphonic Metal act.  This time it's the Saint Petersburgian septet called […]
By Tuoksu Holopainen
May 1, 2014
Sanctorium - The Depths Inside album cover

Here goes another female-fronted  Symphonic Metal act.  This time it's the Saint Petersburgian septet called SANCTORIUM. "The Depths Inside" is the band's debut album following a couple of releases consisting of few singles, EPs and demos. The album is clad in a very nice-looking cover artwork, something that give you the impression it's going to be some Epic Symphonic Death Metal à la SepticFlesh or so. However, this is definitely not the case.

After the very "predictable" intro, "1000 Years" and "Dragonqueen" perfectly how SANCTORIUM seem to be following the typical "classic" formula of this subgenre of Metal, which no longer has such an impact on me. Pseudo-operatic female vocals mingled with harsh, and occasionally clean, Male vocals, heavy synthetic orchestrations and keyboards, and riffs that range from Power Metal to Progressive Metal. One has to admit most tracks on this album are beautifully-written and are definitely meant to catch the ears of dyed-in-the-wool lovers of this style. Again, I have to keep mentioning that it certainly has nothing to do with the Goth style, though people keep labeling any Symphonic Metal band "Gothic."

"Alive" and "Spirit" are a tad "proggy" compared to the rest of the material on this album. "Maild of Lake" and "Rub Al'Khali" are those tracks where Daria Zhukova really showcased her most impressive vocal performance. The latter one, along with "Initiation of Al'Hazred" conjure a myriad of styles ranging from HELLOWEEN and ANGRA to Melodic Death Metal. "Silent Cry" is a piano ballad, quite plain, but enjoyable.

I might have underestimated this album at first, but well, it's definitely a grower. It does take some time for someone who can no longer tolerate all those run-of-the-mill "female-fronted" bands, so to speak.

7 / 10

Good

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"The Depths Inside" Track-listing:

1. Intro
2. 1000 Years
3. Dragonqueen
4. Alive
5. Spirit
6. Maild of Lake
7. Cancer of Earth
8. Initiation of Al'Hazred
9. Silent Cry (Ballade)
10. Rub Al'Khali
11. Prayer

Sanctorium Lineup:

Alexey Sherbak  - Guitars
Ilya Wilks - Bass
Evgeniy Nosov - Drums
Daria Zhukova - Vocals
Sergey Muraviev - Vocals
Olga Gavrilova - Keyboards
Alexandr Mutin - Guitars 

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