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(*/10) Since a couple of years it’s German metal outfit Beyond The Black that is gaining momentum. Not only that the sextet release two pretty good records, the band’s also frequently on tour. Beyond The Black opened for bands like Saxon, Scorpions and Queensryche which led to a growing popularity. Furthermore there were some bigger festivals in Europe that had Beyond The Black as part of their billing. Wacken, Rockavaria and Full Metal Mountain were just some of the bigger open airs the band did in 2016.
Talking about 2016 means also to mention that almost the entire band was renewed during the second half of the year. It’s only Jennifer Haben who’s still with Beyond The Black. The rest of the line-up changed which also leads to some curiosity about the future direction of the band. The first moment of truth has been the November show that worked out very well.
Singer Jennifer Haben and the new guys will spend the coming weeks on the road, this time opening for Powerwolf and Epica. Right before the tour kicks-off Beyond The Black releases a tour-edition of their latest longplayer “Lost in Forever”. The record includes the original 13 songs plus four extra tracks that made it on this special edition.
Tour editions are getting more common every year and the necessity from a fan perspective can be discussed, however, the four extra songs will create some excitement with fans of the band. It starts with “Night Will Fall” which belongs to the more silent Beyond The Black tunes. The track is a symphonic one, that sounds like a soundtrack and actually it is. It became the title track for a German TV movie called “Die Ketzerbraut” and it’s the medieval theme that connects song and film.
In general the new songs are kept more quiet and atmospheric. The loud and heavy guitars are present but less in the forefront. “The Other Side” is one of these more solemn songs that are well done, even though they don’t knock your socks off. In the end all four tracks follow a kind of the same pattern, coming with the same expression. OK, “Rage Before the Strom” sticks out a bit in the sense that it includes more heavy sections. The songs itself isn’t new since it was already the accompaniment for the outro of the 2015 W:O:A:, presented on video walls and on the W:O:A homepage.
Overall there isn’t that much new on the tour edition. This release feels more like a bridge into a new era of Beyond The Black, guiding fans from old to new. In the end it’s the next studio album that will give more clarity about the future direction of Beyond The Black.
(*/10)
Tracklist:
- Lost in Forever
- Beautiful Lies
- Written in Blood
- Against the World
- Beyond the Mirror
- Halo of the Dark
- Dies Irae
- Forget My Name
- Burning in Flames
- Nevermore
- Shine and Shade
- Heaven in Hell
- Love's a Burden
- Night Will Fade
- The Other Side
- Our Little Time
- Rage Before the Storm
Label: Airforce 1 Records
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Release Date EU: January 13th, 2017
