This was one of the most difficult reviews I’ve had to write for Sonic Cathedral. Even typing up this paragraph about Ivalys’ debut album Lumen wasn’t easy. Why? Well, the French quintet Ivalys blends symphonic, death, and progressive metal styles to create a sound that’s melodic yet experimental – more experimental than Epica, Diabulus In Musica, and other similar bands. As a result, reviewing Lumen proved to be a challenge. I needed to spend more time than I’d expected with this album to figure out how I felt about it. In the end, though I had some criticisms, I found that “at Lumen’s brightest moments, it balances grit with sweetness, rhythm with melody, and – appropriately enough, given the album title’s Latin roots – dark with light.”

Click here to read my review of Ivalys’ Lumen.

Starting today, I’m going to include YouTube clips with each blog posting about my reviews. That way, you’ll get to hear one of my favorite songs from each album. So here’s “Within Flesh” by Ivalys. I particularly like Jessica’s soaring chorus, which Jessica soars through, and the ominous guitar/drum outro. If you have any comments, feel free to post them in your replies to this entry.