Band:	Enuma Elish
Album:	Maquete
Style:	Gothic metal, Power metal
Release date:	2005

01. Guargador De Lobos
02. Krux
03. Entre Deuses Ausentes
04. Fraqueza Do Fogo
05. Eterno Descanso
06. De Quem O Meu Inferno [live]

Well, when I first listened to this release, "Maquete", I really didn't know how to describe it. I checked a website concerning bands from Azores (www.metalicidio.com) and it was labeling them as dark rock; well, to say the truth, I wouldn't say that "Maquete" is a dark rock album, if this term really exists.

So, all "alone" in this trip of trying to label this release and describe the music of Enuma Elish I reached a conclusion, what this bands plays is rock, with references in various parts of this generic term, whether it is alternative , psychedelic or more melancholic-approaching rock etc.

The album opens with "Guargador De Lobos" and all I can say is that this composition didn't impress me, being groovy, but having not the charisma to touch the listener, and despite the fact that the singer seems to be having a good voice his vocals seemed in a way out of tune. I was expecting the album to flow in a better way, but "Krux" that followed left me the same impression, uninspired melodies that can't make the listener enjoy himself while listening to Enuma Elish and, for one more time, vocals that seem not to harmonize beautifully with the rest composition. "Entre Deuses Ausentes" that followed disappointed me as well, though some guitar parts of it while reaching its end seemed interesting and the bass lines were creative.

And, while everything seemed black and I really wasn't expecting something, "Fraqueza Do Fogo" started echoing in the room, a really beautiful melancholic song with inspired heart-rending guitar melodies and a rhythm section lending its fading pulse to the overall melancholy of the song. What an impressive turn! And the vocals seem to be fitting perfectly the song! Utterly melancholic and emotional giving voice to the lyrics in the most appropriate way! And "Maquete" flows in emotional soundscapes with "Eterno Descanso", another beautiful song, serene and touching, showing wonderfully the musical course that this band has to follow and leave behind their sound as it was presented in the first three songs. The album ends in a more upbeat and affected, yet emotional still, manner with "De Quem O Meu Inferno" and it's obvious and clear that this band really has a future if they keep on unfolding their emotional side.

Concluding, "Maquete" is an interesting release, generally speaking, not something worth-checking, in my opinion, if you take into consideration the first three compositions of it, but? if you listen to their next three songs you will be impressed by the emotional charge they have to offer. I think I cannot give something more than 5 to this release since half of its compositions have nothing to offer and they won't impress someone listening to them, but, anyway, I will give it a 5.5 hoping that the band will keep the emotional stuff flowing.