UPWARDS - TEODASIA

Every time one listens to a new band, there is a sort of uncertainty as to wether their first album will measure up to the expected standard or if it will flop, due to its being the product of just entusiasm, and rock-star dreams. Fortunately, with Teodasia's first effort Upwards, one can rest assured that one will be in for a musical ride full of excitement, cinematic atmospheres and great music.
  
   The album kicks off with the incredible Temptress, a song that, in a way, shows what the album will be about: tempo changes, vocal melodies ranging from lyrical to rockish, and a musical background so tightly knit that it is hard to believe that this is indeed the band's first record. After Revelations, a song with beautiful orchestral passages all along, comes the grandiose Lost Words Of Forgiveness, featuring one of the finest singers in the Italian metal scene, Fabio Lione, of Rhapsody Of Fire. Teodasia's singer Priscilla Fiazza duets with Fabio in such an enticing manner that it is simply not possible not to play the song once again (or many times again) before continuing with the rest of the album. After that, the there is some room to relax a bit with the beautifully-sung Close Call. Clarion Call shakes things up a bit: Tempo changes, an orchestral interludio, and a flawless instrumental background offer the perfect background for Priscilla's voice to soar. This marks the transition to the second part of the album, which kicks in as powerfully as the first part did. A Powerful Life boasts one of those chorus lines hard to forget. Again, after one listen to this song, the melody lingers. A special mention to the guitar solo here, which blends perfectly with the singer's voice. The song ends a bit abruptly, leaving the listener expectant. After a few seconds of silence, Hollow Earth bursts in. This is, perhaps, the most perfectly-crafted song. The break in the middle is marvelous. The instrumental interludio and the guitar solo mark a change in the mood of the song, and the coda crowns this masterpiece. Then comes Aurora, a spell-binding song that for a few minutes will keep the listener wondering to what kind of mystical land his or her mind drifted. Pandora's Knight is, perhaps, the song where influences stand out the most. The keyboards automatically reminisce of the Nightwish of the Wishmaster/Century Child era. There is a bit of growling in the middle, a surprise at this stage of the album and towards the end, there is a brief passage that reminds of Within Temptation. In fact, if one is unaware of who is singing, one may think it is Sharon den Adel. There is an instrumental track in the album as well, Eulogy, which is epic. It could be the soundtrack to a lord-of-the-rings-style movie. This is a euology to music. Emotive and bombastic, this composition boasts all the elements which have been mentioned above. My Minotaur, the final track, is the perfect ending for a flawless album.
If one had to define Upwards, the right answer would be that this is the perfect debut album for any band in the genre. The musicians have achieved such a level of balance that the whole group sounds tight. There are no cracks, the band sounds like a unit. There are no displays of virtuosity, no lightning-fast guitar or keyboard solos, but they are not needed. This is perhaps Teodasia's main virtue to sound as a unity. Teodasia has achieved a sound that is hard to imagine in any debut record. This album has certainly set the bar high for the band's next projects. But if the musicians continue being this consistent, there are no doubts they will surely keep setting higher standards with every new record.

Rating: 9/10

Video: Lost Words Of Forgiveness

Unmissable song: Hollow Earth