Visionatica: Enigma Fire (Frontiers, 2019)

Newly signed to the Frontiers label, German symphonic metal band Visionatica unleashed their second album, titled Enigma Fire, this summer. The band, which features vocalist Amara Avodem, fits pretty cleanly in that “female-fronted symphonic metal” style alongside Vision Of Atlantis and Lunatica (which, I’m guessing, inspired their name).

If you were tasked with coming up with the most generic, most stereotypical example of this particular metal sub-genre, you’d probably end up with Visionatica. The band’s sound is fairly basic, relying heavily on keyboard symphonic elements and Avodem’s vocals, which unfortunately aren’t quite enough to make this album stand out from the crowd. She’s a talented enough singer, but the songs just aren’t anything special.

There’s nothing wrong with Enigma Fire, but there’s nothing particularly right about it either. Visionatica isn’t leading the pack like Nightwish or Within Temptation, and they aren’t making an impact like The Dark Element or Xandria either. They’re just kind of “there,” in a “decent, but forgettable” kind of way.

The whole symphonic metal genre has been around long enough that there’s not much room for another merely decent band. If you’re absolutely crazy over this kind of music by all means give Enigma Fire a spin. If you like this kind of music but are looking for something more special, you’re better off with The Dark Element or Chaos Magic.