Niviane. The last time we looked at the band was in 2017 with their debut The Druid King. A record that just couldn’t convince us despite multiple listens. Even attempts to invoke the Stockholm syndrome didn’t quite work out that well. Their 2020 concoction The Ruthless Divine sailed past our shores unseen. Quite unsurprisingly so. This is one of these acts changing labels for every one of their records they reluctantly choose to release and not everyone of them is connected to the good ol’ RMR office tower.
Now, another five years have gone by, and Queen of Phantoms graces our sumpy review pipe this early March of 2025 yet again. Feisty, ghostly mysteries served with martial gusto to please their fan crowd? That appears to be the plan. Success will be in the eye of the beholder, though.
First, whoever is wailing over at Niviane, just stop. Find something else to do. The metal multiverse boasts some of the world’s most outstanding vocalists in the realms of Power and Heavy Metal. Most with a reach of multiple octaves, dispatching those famous metal screams without one note out of place, and performances that will just blow your mind. Yet, already on Queen of Phantoms – the title track no less – the high-pitched shrieks feel like those proverbial fingernails on a blackboard. Unintelligible, cringe-heavy hollering followed in tandem with watery Death Metal growls and creaky clears. Thus, this first track already managed to irk us when the proverbial horse wasn’t even quite out of the gate yet. Not a great portent and exactly what held us back on their first record already.
The vocals on Queen of Phantoms appear to be a general issue, though. They’re often so off-kilter and disjointed that it sounds like a sort of weird strategy. Put differently, the band seems to try a tad too hard to get to that mix of Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) and Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitaiton), both of them first-rate vocalists. But Niviane here never quite reached coherence to the point of convincing anybody out here at the RMR Review Desk.
Luckily, the vocals aren’t the only arrows in the band’s quiver. Once 12 BC Legions shows its colors, things improve some with renewed neatly paced metal power. Niviane ploughs these well-known fields of Roman legends already covered by other cohorts of Heavy Metal bands way before them. And that comes complete with infamous marching sounds and good ol’ tracks galloping around the soundscapes like real good’uns. In other words, Queen of Phantoms contains enough heavy chugging, down-to-earth riffing, reasonably well-chiseled solos, and a right-down-the-middle blast beat fest to please the Californian desert folk. A mélange of Heavy and Power Metal, somewhere in the vicinity of the failed Iced Earth, hints to heavies such as Iron Maiden, and some nods to Nevermore‘s easier urges. Yeah, you heard that right. If you listen closely enough, some timid, proggy vibes do appear here and there.
So, let’s make a short pitstop here to see what we got. Queen of Phantoms‘ first track has been shot to smithereens for good; no contest. The opening volley of this battle tale that should drag everybody into the brawl but didn’t. The second track, 12 BC Legions, finally gave us some hope with its lusty pace and its savvy airs of American Power Metal. But then, the slowly meandering 12 BC Germania turned into a fucking lullaby. A track that this crew already heard somewhere out in the vast marshes Heavy and Power Metal usually occupy, in better quality. I could repeat the same or similar comments right down the mighty tracklist of this hour-long piece. But we shan’t do this to avoid turning this into a friggin’ rant. And that, coupled with a somewhat sloppy production, makes their wares often sound vapid and insipid in comparison.
Finally, the RMR crew was unhappy that we couldn’t like this record more. Queen of Phantoms moves in all the right directions this time after all. Out of Iced Earth’s ominous shadow, hints to power prog for further spice, a pretty good energy throughout, the elements would be all there. And I am sure they’ll sound great on stage, too. Trouble is, Niviane‘s genres of choice somehow became their nemesis at the same time. This is territory occupied by age-old masters steeped in metallic geekery. If any band wants to succeed in this monster-filled shark pool, they need to project cosmic energy and outstanding musical prowess. Put differently, dime-a-dozen, tepid deliveries just won’t catapult you on top of that shiny metallic mountain you’re trying to climb so hard.
Record Rating: 4/10 | Label: Rockshots Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 7 March 2025