Arkan "Sofia"

Country: France
Sub Genre: Tech/Extreme, Progressive Metal, Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist
Release date: May 23, 2014, (US - May 27, 2014)
Tracklist: 

1. Hayati 4:53 
2. My Reverence 5:25 
3. March of Sorrow 4:17 
4. Leaving Us 4:21 
5. Soiled Dreams 4:10 
6. Deafening Silence 5:10 
7. Endless Way 5:03 
8. Wingless Angels 4:09 
9. Beauty Asleep 2:02 
10. Scar of Sadness 4:00 
11. Cold Night's Dream 3:12 
12. Dark Epilogue 3:11

Line-up: 
Foued Moukid - drums & percussion
Florent Jannier - growls
Samir Remila - bass
Mus Elkamal - guitars, acoustic guitars, oûd
Sarah Layssac - clean vocals

Description/Reviews: 

The new style here takes pointers from Comalies-era Lacuna Coil, and the guitar work has suitably morphed to fit this, highlighting several interesting riffs such as on “My Reverence” or “Soiled Dreams”. Meanwhile, the folk instrumentation of oûds and mandolas brings a whole new dimension to the music, steering tracks like “Endless Way” and “Leaving Us” away from the trap of ‘just another sympho-goth band to a genuinely weighty listen. They even get their own spotlight on “Beauty Sleep”, the first of the four-track “Sofia” suite that closes the album.
The most divisive change within the band’s sound is the almost complete replacement of harsh vocals for clean ones. Sarah Layssac is more than up to the task, and her vocals, reminiscent of Cristina Scabbia or Amanda Somerville, dominate much of the album. 

 Also read the review by Mark Angel Brandt at blogofputrefaction.com

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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