Overdream - Navigator 3/5
Reviewed: 1-11-08
Tracklist:
1. Guarding eve
2. Navigator
3. Orient dream
4. Distant call
5. New existance
6. First step
7. Levitation
8. Free dive
9. Solace
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Overdream is a new female fronted symphonic power metal band from Hungary and their debut 'Navigator' (which is actually a 2006 release) is on the Hungarian label Nail Records. I'm quite familiar with this label, as they're also responsible for Wisdom's 'Words of wisdom', Echo of Dalriada's 'Fergeteg'/'Jegbonto', Dalriada's 'Kikelet', and probably others that have slipped my mind. Echo of Dalriada changed their name to Dalriada of course, so the last 3 CDs listed are from the same band. Unfortunately, Nail Records hasn't really distributed these CDs worldwide (including the U.S., to my knowledge) and all of them are very hard to find. So it took me a long time to pick up 'Navigator', but it was definitely worth the hunt.
As mentioned, this symphonic power metal band is female fronted, and overall, they're most comparable to Legenda Aurea, Nightwish, Rosa Ignea, Magica, Lunatica and Visions of Atlantis. 'Navigator' is competitive with CDs from these bands too, offering up both fast and bouncy/catchy guitar work, a few nice guitar solos and plenty of keys. There's also a fair amount of electronic/atmospheric parts and even some short folky parts, and this brings in some diversity. Really, while I would normally want symphonic power metal to be without electronic parts, they actually fit in with the rest of the music.
Vocally, Eniko Toth has a great voice in the soprano/operatic style, as you would guess. I don't think she's quite up to the level of Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish) and Claudia Hofer (Legenda Aurea), but she's probably better than Isabela Santos (Rosa Ignea), for quick comparisons. Oh, and speaking of Legenda Aurea, have you checked out their debut 'Sedna' yet? If not, I must tell you that many months after purchasing and reviewing that CD, it's become one of the top female vocal performances of the last few years for me. Really, Claudia Hofer's vocals are superb and 'Sedna' is highly recommended to fans of the female voice.
Anyway, 'Navigator' as a whole is consistent as far as quality, with all of the songs ranging from good to very good. Special mention must be made of the keyboard-oriented instrumental "Levitation" (track 7) and the highly symphonic "Solace" (the final track), which is definitely my favorite song on the CD. The slow track 4 "Distant call" and electronic-dominating track 5 "New existance" are also good, and I should also mention track 2 "Navigator", as Eniko's vocals are great on that song.
So we end up with another solid and enjoyable CD for fans of female fronted symphonic power metal, like myself. Surely there are better CDs out there, but just like the debuts from Legenda Aurea ('Sedna') and Rosa Ignea ('Ancient eyes'), 'Navigator' will get plenty of spins and is worth looking for if you've made it this far in the review.
CLINT
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