ALBUM REVIEW: Coven - The Advent

COVEN (Japan)

"The Advent"

(Svart Records)

Release date: September 29th 2017

Genre: Heavy metal, traditional metal

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Japan has always been a country that has a profound and genuine love for all genres of heavy metal, especially the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. They have managed to produce a fair share of bands too, among which the veterans in Loudness are arguably their strongest alibi. But of course there are other bands who want to keep the Japanese metal legacy alive too, and the Tokyo based duo COVEN is one that takes great pride in doing so. 

This female fronted duo consists of Taka (vocals, bass, arrangements and designs) and Akihiro Ito (guitars and arrangements), and they both are credited as songwriters as well. Both are claiming to be heavily influenced by 70's hard rock, NWOBHM, as well as their own cultural heritage. Quite an honorable thing to do, if you ask me, and with these circumstances I look forward to what will happen when I push "play". 

The four tracks that are on COVEN's debut EP are all loaded to the brink with positive energy, and you can hear they write their songs and play their instruments with a smile. The songs are well composed, with a lot of great guitar work that sends me back to a time when Saxon, Iron Maiden and Diamond Head were only just beginning to define a new genre of heavy music. 

Even the production has an authentic feel of the late 70's/early 80's, albeit with a few apparent imperfections. Singer Taka's voice seems to drown in the mix at times, and she does not always seem confident enough to allow herself to give her voice that extra push to reach the highest notes. But when she does reach them, she does it with bravour. 

The lyrics are sung with a mixture of English and Japanese, and I feel this is something COVEN takes great pride in doing. The cover art is very manga influenced, and although maybe a bit untraditional in metal, it is still something that only just adds to the feelgood factor that is created whilst taking in both the visual and audible impressions that are the sum of what COVEN is all about. 

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Tracklist: 

1. Brave Warriors 

2. Karma   

3. Wings Of Glory   

4. Scream For Tomorrow

COVEN:

Taka – vocals, bass, arrangements, designs

Akihiro Ito – guitars, arrangements