Beyond The Black are a symphonic metal band from Germany formed in 2014, releasing five albums to date – ‘Songs Of Love And Death’ (2015), ‘Lost In Forever’ (2016), ‘Heart Of The Hurricane’ (2018), ‘Horizons’ (2020), and the self-titled ‘Beyond The Black’ in 2023.
Formed by vocalist Jennifer Haben, Beyond The Black stormed onto metal’s biggest stage – the world – with their debut album, receiving the Metal Hammer award for the best debut of 2015! And the band haven’t looked back since – with chart success, European and world tours, and several appearances at one of the premier metal festivals in the world, Wacken Open Air. Beyond The Black are on a momentous roll that keeps getting stronger and stronger! The band’s self-titled fifth album is ten songs and forty-two minutes of punchy yet melodic, highly infectious, symphonic power metal. So if there’s anybody out there, let’s delve into ‘Beyond The Black’, which is brought to life by the heavy hitting ‘Is There Anybody Out There’. Punchy with plenty of knock-out blows, ‘Is There Anybody Out There’ is a glorious wake up call to listeners everywhere! Because trust me – if you were sleeping, you certainly won’t be anymore!
The momentum garnered by the opening salvo is brought to thunderous levels by the hard-hitting, foot-stomping brute ‘Reincarnation’, with just a hint of menace oozing from the band – mostly from the harsh backing vocals! Beyond The Black adds small surprises here and there to keep you on your toes! Just like ‘Free Me’, switching to a more symphonic rock feel than the album’s opening two songs, maybe even in the direction of balladry and hymn-like majesty. Either way, Jennifer Haben’s vocals are faultless, soaring high and causing angels to sit up and take notice. And as I look out the window for just a moment at a foggy and frost-covered landscape – I’m fortunate to live on the edge of a town and have a view of a field in front of me – the band launch into ‘Winter Is Coming’, and I can’t help thinking “it’s already here!”. Anyway, ‘Winter Is Coming’ with an emphatic increase in pace, the band storming forth with all the hallmarks of traditional heavy metal and the iconic “foot on the monitor” feel. Definitely the most head bang-able song out of the opening four.
With an eerie yet mystical atmosphere, ‘Into The Light’ glides into life and delivers a haymaker of a whack – landing a direct hit on the ol’ bonce! The band, hitting harder than ever, shake the ground and crumble walls as they march on by – the energy and force oozing from ‘Into The Light’ is just incredible! Which all but disappears as the mellow and serene strains of a power ballad come into view – ‘Wide Awake’ displaying one of the most angelic and emotionally fuelled vocal performances on the album. So readers, listeners, fans and followers, raise your lighters high and sway from side to side and just let yourself go for a moment. And take a breather too – to ready yourselves for the tribal-sounding drums that herald the punchy and highly anthemic ‘Dancing In The Dark’. As anthemic metal goes, ‘Dancing In The Dark’ is right up there with some of the classics from bands such as Saxon and Manowar – with crowds coming together as one, raising their fists high in the air, and saluting a cracking song.
One of the heaviest hitting songs on offer, ‘Raise Your Head’, is a little more brash than any other song – where the music is concerned, anyway! The heavy guitars churning out a groove metal style riff that wouldn’t go amiss on a melodic thrash metal album adds weight to the band’s sound. A sound rooted firmly and squarely in the symphonic metal genre – with singer Jennifer Haben at the band’s core. And as the band move on with ‘Not In Our Name’, yet more surprises! The harsh backing vocals are brought to the fore, acting a bit like a duet, planting a different perspective on the band’s sound. Sitting at opposite ends of the scale, the dual vocal style works very well, especially with the heavier, weightier feel of the music. Returning the hymn-like majesty of earlier, ‘I Remember Dying’ takes it to a whole new level, including a much more angelic vocal delivery than heard previously (on ‘Wide Awake’). With all the pulsating energy and oomph of the album up to this point, Beyond The Black sidle forward with a heartfelt and very emotional performance.
Overall, an infectious and varied journey of symphonic metal, highly melodic and full of exquisite surprises.
TRACKLIST
Is There Anybody Out There
Reincarnation
Free Me
Winter Is Coming
Into The Light
Wide Awake
Dancing In The Dark
Raise Your Head
Not In Our Name
I Remember Dying
Beyond The Black: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
