Edge Of Paradise: Universe (Frontiers, 2019)

Newly signed to the Frontiers label, US melodic metal band Edge Of Paradise has delivered their second album, titled Universe. The band, which was formed by vocalist Margarita Monet and guitarist Dave Bates, engaged producer Mike Potnikoff (Halestorm) and mixer Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, CyHra) for this album, which should give you a couple clues as to Universe’s overall sound.

“Modern metal” is about the closest thing to a genre descriptor we’re going to get for Edge Of Paradise. The songs are very melodic, surprisingly heavy, and have a lot of pop and electronica touches that very much help the songs stand out from the crowd. Think Halestorm and Sister Sin meet Amaranthe and The Dark Element. Actually, Monet’s voice reminds me a bit of Liv from Sister Sin, as she has a similar “power and grit” vocal style. “Hollow” in particular sounds like a lost Sister Sin track.

Universe has 10 songs, all in the 3-4 minute range and all really solid. There’s a good mix of really heavy songs (“Hollow,” “Fire” and the instrumental closer “Burn The Sun”), really infectious pop-infused songs (“Electrify,” “Perfect Disaster”) and melodic songs like “Alone” and “Stars” that fall somewhere in-between.

With strong new albums from CyHra, The Dark Element, Battle Beast, Crystal Viper and now Edge Of Paradise, 2019 is proving to be a great year for modern “pop metal.” If you like heavy metal with strong female vocals, killer guitar work and a modern production, and you don’t mind some heavy electronica/synth elements, Edge Of Paradise has a really cool sound on Universe.