When it comes to second albums, artists take one of three possible routes: They either rehash their debut material and give it a new title, shake things up enough to create something new yet familiar, or do an about-face and give their audience something totally different. Kandia chose the risky third route for All Is Gone. They went from dynamic melodic metal on their 2010 debut CD (Inward Beauty Outward Reflection) to a full-scale electro-rock assault that fuses nu-metal and hard rock with industrial and electronic sounds. That might explain why I called it everything from a “F-5 tornado” to a “dazzling, roaring lioness ready to pounce on the metal world.”

Click here to read my review of Kandia’s All Is Gone.

“Scars” is the first single from All Is Gone. Though it’s slow-paced, it’s an excellent representation of Kandia’s new sound: driving riffs, Nya’s sensual vocals, and electronic details that add texture to the music. Here’s the lyric video for “Scars.” The band recently finished filming a video for this song. If you like what you in the lyric video, make sure to check out Kandia on Facebook and catch the video premiere when it happens!

Coming Soon: A write-up about the 2013 Massachusetts Poetry Festival, a review of Timo Tolkki’s highly anticipated Avalon album The Land Of New Hope, and my recent nomination for the Liebster Award! Stay tuned.