Band:	Amartia
Album:	Marionette
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	May 15, 2006
A review by:	Jeff

01. Desert
02. Ignorance
03. Surprends Moi
04. Come Back From Heaven
05. N.D.E.
06. Revolution Der Marionette
07. Lost
08. Chosen One
09. Just Try [bonus]

Amartia comes from France and "Marionette" (puppet) is the 2nd album of the combo. In their biography, we can read that they play a music in the vein of The Gathering, well that's right on a side but also a bit different. Right, because they have a female singer and because they play a kind of progressive Atmospheric Metal similar to the last albums of the bands from The Netherlands but wrong also because it's not so intimate and clearly not so deep.

The music of Amartia is really simple and a bit generic. They play a kind of Atmospheric Metal with some female vocals. With a lot of Keyboards and electronic sounds I can say that it is a Progressive album but there is also these Atmospheric attitudes and ambiances so evidently I can't talk about Prog a la Dream Theater but maybe more a mix between The Gathering and a band like Pain Of Salvation. Though it's simple, really linear and a bit repetitive, and if at the end, the songs aren't bad, I don't know why but it's hard for me to be attracted by the music. I mean that it's sweet, it's melodic etc but I didn't find any real hits in this CD. The song pass but don't remains in my mind?

This lack of good chorus is a bit problematic because the band is lacking of points that can attract the listeners. Plus, even if Britta Herzog is a good singer, her lyrics in French don't sound good and it sounds like some basic "sweety" Pop lyrics. Here again when I was listening to the album I didn't find any real interest in the French lyrics and the English ones were a better choice in my opinion.

The production is good at least, but "Marionette" is a bit too much generic for me. I'm sure on a side that the ones that want to listen to Metal with female vocals will find something different of all the trendy bands that we can find everyday but don't expect something that will surprise you too.

"Marionette" is not so bad, but I don't know, something is missing on this release and at the end it's a bit weak and uncolored. The band has something special in its music that's a good thing but on the other hand the album lacks of real hits so I'm not sure that it will stay in my memory.