Lutharo is a female-fronted Power/Death/Epic Metal band hailing from Canada. Ten years into their career, they’ve released two EPs and two LPs. Chasing Euphoria is the second (soon-to-be-released) LP. Chugging rhythms and frenetic riffs combine with delicate interludes, clean and harsh vocals, and killer compositions to create a massive soundscape that will wash over you, drowning you in glorious noises that sweep you off the shore into the depths of a musical fantasy land. Take a deep breath before the first song ends, you will need it as the rest of the album will work to take that last breath away. The stunning speed and accuracy of the songs will leave you wanting more. This is one of those records that will stick with you for years to come.

https://www.lutharo.com/

Band Members:

  • Krista Shipperbottom – Vocals
  • Victor Bucur – Guitars/Backing Vocals
  • Jeff Wilson – Guitars (Live)
  • Chris Pacey – Bass
  • Cory Hofing – Drums

Release Date:

March 15, 2024 – Atomic Fire Records

https://label.atomicfire-records.com/

Tracklist:

  1. Gates Of Enchantment
  2. Reaper’s Call
  3. Ruthless Bloodline
  4. Time To Rise
  5. Born To Ride
  6. Bonded To The Blade
  7. Chasing Euphoria
  8. Creating A King
  9. Strong Enough To Fail
  10. Paradise Or Parasite
  11. Freedom Of The Night

The “Gates Of Enchantment” slowly opens with strings and sound effects, setting the tone to let you know you are about to embark on an epic journey through your mind, guided by sounds and words. After a haunting lead-in, “Reaper’s Call” blasts you into another realm. A lightning-fast rhythm with ambient keyboards and frenetic guitar work set the stage for the combined clean and harsh vocals. The harsh voice will send a shiver down your spine and the cleans will partially calm you, but that is not going to last. Krista’s ability to switch back and forth will keep you on edge.

The opening to “Ruthless Bloodline” is a study in brutality. The guitar riff is damn near overpowered by the freakishly strong rhythm and I love every second of that battle! The melodic section through the chorus including the shift to clean vocals, does not slow down the drums. Blast beats dominate this track from start to finish and the guitar/bass groove does a wonderful job of keeping pace. There is just so much to hear that it sometimes becomes hard to focus on just one thing. The blend of instruments, both in the composition and the mix, is near perfect!

Time and time again, Lutharo blasts open a track with a riff, a drum fill, or a bass line that rips open the soundscape with brutality and elegance. They like to launch into a song rather than bring it to bear with a gentle intro. “Chasing Euphoria” is one that starts with the full band. Clean vocalizations lead to a clean first verse before the harsh vocals kick in. The musical phrasing shifts a little when they switch from clean to harsh vocals, adding a touch of complexity to the composition, and shading the palette they’re using to tell the story within the song.

“Creating A King” is one of the exceptions. Lutharo uses a slower fade-in on this track but ends up hitting a similar groove with the vocals and instruments, going back and forth from clean to harsh, and heavy to melodic. For the final song, the epic “Freedom Of The Night,” they enter slowly before giving you a jump-scare melodic riff that crashes into a thrashy Power Metal track. At seven minutes, this is the beast track that has the time to show all the skills Lutharo has embedded into this album; Thrash, Power, Death, and Progressive elements all make an appearance and blend beautifully for the record conclusion.

Lutharo takes their music writing and performance seriously. They are one of those bands that want both style and substance. The keyboards they use on “Freedom Of The Night” add a ton of tonality and texture to an already epic track. They know how and when to beef up the songs with additional elements to highlight certain areas. The addition of strings at the end of this track, layered in with the harsh vocals, leading to the drop that concludes the record is elegant and very well executed. This is a stunning album and should be in your collection AND on your playlist.

MZ Ratings:

Musicianship:

  •             Guitars – 10
  •             Rhythms – 10
  •             Vocals – 10
  • Songwriting – 10
  • Production – 10

Overall – 10.00