Band:	Kadenzza
Album:	The Second Renaissance
Style:	Avantgarde black metal
Website:	http://www.kadenzza.com
Release date:	2005
A review by:	Jeff

01. In My Own Voice
02. Ghost In The Shell
03. The Embers Of Reverie
04. The Abyss Stare At You
05. Utakata
06. In The Woods
07. The Wolfoid
08. Mother's Flesh
09. Redemption

Believe me my friends, nowadays it's good to have the luck to do reviews of original albums but unfortunately that's rarely the case. However, when it comes to the French label Holy Records I cannot say that we didn't have a lot of nice surprises this year 2005. Hantaoma, or Misanthrope and now the new excellent Kadenzza, psychedelic Avantgardist Black Metal by the Japanese maestro You Oshima?

Kadenzza is probably one of the most original band of the Metal scene. Between classical and symphonic music, with Indus and Black Metal influences, the new album "The Second Renaissance" is for me one of the most surprising releases of the years 2005. Actually of course when you know the precedent work of You Oshima it's not new but if you didn't know it before, you'll be probably amazed by the quality of this release even if that won't be easy for me to describe the music of this crazy musician.

I will let you imagine then, a mix of psychedelic classical music that uses violins, percussions and others folks instruments with in addition powerful double beats drums and heavy guitars riff plus finally a lot of Industrial sounds and tempos. It maybe sounds weird (and it's weird actually) but at the end the music of Kadenzza is magic and really disturbing. The ambiances are just amazing and this is not so easy to find some others colds and electrics atmospheres like the one of "The Second Renaissance".

In English or Japanese, with spoken or singing lyrics this "The Second Renaissance" cannot be more original, and actually it's impossible to classify this record. "Ghost In The Shell" is an impressive powerful symphonic electronic song when "Utakata" and its really dark ambiance (with organs) and lyrics in Japanese is at the opposite a pure ambient song. As you can see there is also variation in this album and of course, I will put "The Second Renaissance" in the list of the best and surprising releases of the year.

If you like dark movies and especially mangas atmospheres, and if you think that it is possible to mix Metal with this musical atmosphere, you can't miss this amazing album. You Oshima is probably a genius, and he knows how to create something that basic bands won't ever do. In the Avantgarde Metal category, "The Second Renaissance" is more than a success, this is a must for all the ones who like and understand this music.