It takes a lot to blow me away musically. A band has to have all of a list of things in order to really leave me awe struck. They are exceptional musical talent, well written and meaningful lyrics, a powerful rhythm section where the bass plays with the drums and not the guitar, skilled guitarist who plays rather than just strumming chords, and last but not least, great vocals and backup vocals. Now, there are many great bands that don't have all of these things I listed. I am not knocking anyone. All I am saying is that its the bands that have all those things are the ones that blow me away. Istanbul, Turkey's Riseback does. The last band prior to Riseback to blow me away like that was Greece's Wardrum. And, Istanbul is not that far from Greece, and I have already contacted Wardrum, and told them that they need to play some shows with Riseback.
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| Vocals: Riella Eskenazi |
From the first song on the self titled album, Riseback owns you. They have a style that is a mix of melodic/progressive/modern metal, with a touch of goth. But, there are classic influences as well. For example, in the guitar, I hear a little bit of heavy Judas Priest influence. Singer, Riella Eskenazi has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Its pure, yet powerful, and oozes emotion. You feel something when you hear her sing, whether she is singing softly like in Try to Say, or whether she is belting it out like in Fake Numb Face, and Make You Real.
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| Guitar, Ali safa Uzun |
Speaking of Fake Numb Face and Make You Real, guitarist, Ali safa Uzun makes the statement that he's worthy of being in the same sentence with greats like Glen Tipton, and Jon Schaffer. The guitar in those songs is heavy, fast, and driving. Raw power. All the songs on the album have a heavy drive to them, but those songs are the heaviest.
The lone ballad on the album, Try to Say even thinks its a heavy song. It starts off as a sweet sounding piano ballad, but winds up with some bursts of heavy guitar. Several of the songs have slow sections to them, but Try to Say is the only ballad.
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| Drums, Onur Acka |
All of the songs have a commercial value to them, meaning that even though they show the immense talent of the band, this album could still chart on the US rock charts. The first song, Game Powered has a groove that is catchy, and would even appeal to the non musician. Really, the whole album would apply to the non musician.
Their song, Far away was released on a compilation album in 2011, and Riseback has played several large festivals, including the Headbangers Weekend, where they opened for Overkill, and other big names. They also played the Metal Crowd Open Air Festival. Riseback is also being played on various streams in Europe along with Evanescence, and Lacuna Coil. Also, another compilation is coming out soon that will feature Riseback, and other female fronted bands. They are also working on their second album.
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| Bass, Koner Mimili |
So, they are making a name for themselves in Europe, but I want then big in the US. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that is a recurring theme here. All the great music in the world is coming from Europe, South America, Africa, etc. All the US is putting out is more (C)rap, and cookie cutter pop acts that all sound the same. Don't get me wrong, there are just as many great bands in the US as anywhere else, but the record companies here want nothing to do with it. That needs to change, and I'm doing all I can to help by showcasing what is much more main stream over seas than what we are force fed by the record companies in the US.
Buy Riseback's album. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook Here is their interview on the Will and Thunder Show. <ca-ching!> And, thanks to Femetalism for sending Riseback my way!
And, check out their video for Make You Real.
And the video for Game Powered
And by all means, tell your friends about this band!
And, I am in love with Riella. :)
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