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Slovenia
may not seem like the place where quality rock music is produced but
Naio Ssaion are here to but it on the rock music map.
The mix of rampant violin and haunting female vocals are the basis for
the Naio Ssaion sound, and this only is the tip of the iceberg
musically, as underneath is a mix of electro pop metal and folk
influenced rock that is not only new, but refreshing.
The bands debut album 'Numedia' was released back in 2004 and was
totally sung in Slovenian. However, unlike their first album, this
new release is sung in English, with the intention on reaching a bigger
audience. It's also the bands debut release on their new record
label Napalm Records.
The album opens up with ‘Static’, which will leave you far from that
with its thunderous bass intro. It certainly makes you sit up and
take notice and shows that the band mean business right from the off.
With the vocals of Barbara being very reminiscent of Skin from Skunk
Anansie, and with the flamboyant violins of Rok not far behind, make
this a great way to bring the band into you life.
‘The Mirror’ is another fantastic piece of music as the mix of
violins and contemporary rock instruments blend so well, not only on
this track but throughout the entire album.
The album goes from strength to strength with each track outdoing the
previous one, from the upbeat ‘Teen’ and ‘Miss You’, to the
violin frenzied ‘Bow Link In E Minor’.
The hard hitting ‘N.SS’ and ‘Shut Up’ show the band isn’t
afraid to be diverse with their music.
The flamenco guitar and gypsy feel to ‘Blah-Blah’ make this one of
my favourite tracks on the album.
Some might say that this type of music has been too heavily publicized
with the likes of Evanescence, Lacuna Coil and Nightwish, but I think if
the quality of the music is as high as it is on this release, then I for
one will still be listening to it and pushing for more of the same.
This album has got to be one of the best releases of 2005 and in fact
made it into our reviewers Top 15 releases of the year.
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