Atargatis
Wasteland

Abandon any reference, comparison, or possibility of homage towards the famous and splendid poem by T.S. Eliot, the evident namesake of this album, which might lead the uninitiated to think of yet another gothic metal product inspired by famous and decadent literary works of past centuries.

We are, in fact, facing a collection of 9 songs (plus the inevitable "Intro" and "Outro") of fine craftsmanship, fully in power metal style. The release of this album (2006) represents an excellent opportunity for the relaunch of Atargatis' label, Massacre Records, which after a lean period seems to have come back into vogue with works far from insubstantial.
"Wasteland" is a record that, from the cover and the symphonic track that introduces us to the listening ("Desert"), calls to mind exotic images, of untouched deserts, small oases of peace, palaces with hanging gardens where ancient religious cults and mythology reign. After this cinematic prelude, the accelerator is pushed with the title track, characterized by intertwining guitar and keyboard (an instrument that in the refrains plays a background role), double kick drum attacks, and majestic oriental melodies constructed on the enchanting voice of the talented Stephanie Luzie. Enchanting is the mid-song interlude where fine guitar riffs and the almost recited voice of the singer make way for a solo to which a beautiful violin melody is added.

"Selina (Widow of the moon)" starts right away, with operatic vocals that hand over the reins to aggressive male vocals, leading the song to shores always between symphonic grandeur, power rides, and tempo changes of progressive roots (as in the central part). Slightly subdued is "The crystallic ascension", opened by a bass round overlaid with a few piano notes and measured drum rhythms. The track boasts a chorus less incisive than the previous ones, despite the beautiful violin in the background. We then find the double kick drum in the finale, supported by Stephanie's fantastic vocalizations, while in the next "Cradle of Fern", the guitars break in forcefully, touching speed territories and at times leaving space for atmospheric passages where keyboards reign, vaguely reminiscent of Nightwish's "Century Child". Even the opening of the subsequent "Through the mists of oblivion" features patterns that seem stolen from the Finnish band (despite the constant violin background); even the male voice, with its almost forced aggression, is not dissimilar to Marco Hietala's. Nevertheless, the intertwining of the two voices is truly exciting. It should also be noted that the frontwoman never misses a beat, proving to be the true trademark of Atargatis' sound and allowing listeners to distinguish them from other less inspired and visibly clumsy bands in masking their influences.

"My solace" is introduced by a beautiful and majestic symphonic construction over which the usual female voice ("4giving") rises, always anchored to very high registers, which, however, are never inserted just to flaunt technique, but are of primary importance in the construction of melodic lines that will then guide the various tracks. And so, in "Circle of life", the soprano even manages to make Turunen pale, with an initial high note that could break the glass in your room, followed by fairly pleasant heavy metal rhythms thanks to an unbroken organ background. "Angels crying" resumes the patterns tested by Leaves' Eyes, setting aside too tight rhythms and playing it all on a nice alternation between male and female vocals, while the atmospheric samples of "Eden" close the circle.

In short, the originality might slightly struggle to reach sufficiency, but the album in question has many more than engaging passages and the quality of the singing immediately catches the ear. It is true that one swallow does not make a summer, but for the genre in question (symphonic power metal), anchored for several years to clichés of various kinds (from fantasy to epic, from legends to ancient history), "Wasteland" is a pleasant and welcome surprise.