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This is the second release from this female-fronted power-metal band from Taiwan (!). I had heard some samples of their music before, but this was my first full-length exposure to Seraphim. As they have been creating something of a buzz with this CD I gave it serious attention.

This band has been compared to Nightwish a lot, mostly due to singer Pay. She’s a bona-fide opera soprano, who has performed with orchestras and on classical programs in Asia. She’s cute too. I don’t hear much similarity to Nightwish here though. The vocals are operatic, but unlike Tarja, Pay’s vocal melodies are classical, not metal or pop-based, and also have a hint of atonal asian music to them. The music is very guitar driven and mostly very heavy, with the keys providing backup, but not taking center stage. With their galloping riffs, operatic stylings and sporadic death-growls Seraphim sound much more like Tristiana than Nightwish.

I would really like to rate this CD higher than I have. It is very well produced and very well played, and at almost 73 minutes you really get your money’s worth here. The problem with the album is that there is very little memorable about it. I enjoy this CD a lot while it’s on, but all the songs sound more or less the same, and nothing sticks even after several listens. I’m sure it doesn’t help that this is all sung in Chinese (I have the Chinese release), maybe the English version would help this, but I don’t really think so.

The CD package is really beautiful, with a superlative layout in cool blue-green with Chinese or even Persian-looking motifs. As I said, I have the Chinese version, and all the lyrics are in Chinese, so I can’t say if they are any good. But I love looking at this booklet anyway, the art design is just that good.

So, this is a good CD and certainly not a waste of time or money. It has an extraordinary gloss and is really classy. The band has their own sound and is not following trends. There is a great album in this band’s future, a real classic, but this isn’t quite there yet.