Band:	Amberian Dawn
Album:	River Of Tuoni
Style:	Symphonic power metal
Release date:	January 30, 2008
Guest review by:	Elodie Artour

01. River Of Tuoni
02. Wings Are My Eyes
03. Lullaby
04. Valkyries
05. Fate Of The Maiden
06. My Only Star
07. The Curse
08. Passing Bells
09. Sunrise
10. Evil Inside Me
11. Dreamchaser [Japanese bonus]

When River Of Tuoni was released, it turned out to be a well-received album. Amberian Dawn themselves were listed amongst the few promising new female-fronted metal bands of 2008. Their debut album could be described as Power-orientated Symphonic metal which combines speed, melodies and operatic vocals. Adding to all this tales of Scandinavian mythology and some male vocals, we get the final result of yet another ambitious female-fronted metal band ready to conquer the metal scene.

Apart from the fact that Amberian Dawn may actually sound Nightwish-alike, their music shows unarguably the talent of its performers. Singer Heidi Parviainen's well-trained voice is evident in most of the songs off the record, especially on those where a wide variety of keys and quick switches of tonalities are being used. Something that could be called an advantage of the vocals is the rare use of high-pitched ones that is otherwise too common in the world of Symphonic metal. Heidi is aware of how to use her voice without constantly trying to prove her abilities as a professional singer. Unlike other famous Symphonic metal acts, Amberian Dawn do not seem to obey to the obsession of demonstrating their own performing skills.

As for the compositions themselves, they each follow the same classical pattern. Amberian Dawn is not the type of band that relies on fast, long guitar solos and massive choir parts. However, these musicians are able to create powerful and melodic music throughout more simple instrumentals and by adding strong operatic vocals to it. The combination of male and female vocals that is often being described as "Beauty and The Beast" does not work that well for the band, though. This could be clearly heard on "Lullaby" where the male voice simply does not match with Heidi's one.

On this record, keyboard parts and orchestrations often remind of the ones by other famous Finnish metal bands, including Nightwish and Sonata Arctica. Guitars and drums are well synchronized and, together with the vocals, they can give many listeners the impression that the band members articulate pretty well with each other. Whispers and other sound effects add to the mysticism of the music.

If it comes to lyrics, though, River Of Tuoni lacks some originality. Tales of valkyries, distant lands, bravery and other overrated power metal themes have already started getting old. Another quite big disadvantage of the record is the repetitiveness of the songs. One has to listen to the album quite a few times in order to figure out their favourite tracks and actually start to differentiate them from each other.

All in all, River Of Tuoni was a good start for the career of the band. Some outstanding songs are "The Curse" , "Valkyries" , and the title track, as well with their catchy melodies and haunting spirit. I would recommend the name Amberian Dawn for every one who is into female-fronted metal. This album will especially feed the needs of the ones who enjoy epic, fresh and lively songs accompanied by a classical voice.