This is what Evanescence should sound like; this is the most high energy and rocking metal act to come out of the United States for years, and for some reason this album is being released by an Italian record label. Lili’s vocals come through sharply from even the earliest tracks (“An American Werewolf In Raleigh”, “The Preacher’s Daughter”), and mesh well with the output of Cristof’s throughout the disc. The multiple layers of vocals that are so commonplace on “On Fire” stray away from the chaos that usually hints such active bands and makes for immediate hits that place themselves alongside eighties metal more than the hardcore-influenced fare of today.

The arrangement of the guitars during tracks like “Here To Stay” are not of the experimental school of individuals like Yngwie Malmsteen, but rather a very simple and hard hitting style that will stay with individuals long after the disc ends. Imagine a mixture of Queensryche and Nightwish and one will have an idea of what Widow sounds on tracks like “Sinderella”. There is not the slow-tempo, tepid type of track that results from a tired band on “On Fire”; the band is exactly what the title claims and more. With a fury unseen in the last decade, the churning guitars and supersonic vocals of Widow throughout are what needs to occur more in metal.

The simple vocal repetition of “Not Alone” is matched with the guitar work on the track; this is the cudgel that Widow uses to bash listeners over the head until the only thing that they can remember is the band. The band continues its fury for forty-five minutes without repeating itself or relying on simplistic arrangements to lure listeners. What really will titillate listeners during tracks like “Dead End” is that one can actually hear a humanity in Cristof’s vocals that really will contextualize Widow as a band that could conceivably be made up of your buddies, or maybe even you yourself. The dual-vocal assault of Widow during “On Fire” is really a meeting of equals; tracks that have Cristof having a major role are as good as those that largely include Lili. Here’s hoping that Widow will have a long and productive career that will involve having quite a number of “On Fires” under their belt before things come to an end. Give this album a spin to hear some of the best and most genuine metal that the United States has to offer.

Top Tracks: Misstery, Sinderella

Rating: 7.3/10

[JMcQ]