OPERUS - Cenotaph
February 14, 2018, 6 years ago
(Dark Star)
Toronto’s Operus pulls no punches in their full-length debut Cenotaph and is an exceptional symphonic/power metal album.
Operus succeeds because they remember the fact they are first and foremost a metal band and the symphonics don’t overtake the punch of the guitars. But the wild card that takes Operus to the next level is singer David Michael Moote. No wonder the guys comes from a theater background because he sings with character and the layers of emotion he provides to the tunes can make an average tune sound much better. Listening through the album, it’s almost like hearing a play unfold (though it’s not a concept album) providing high-octane tunes (check out the stormer “Colosseum” and “Fate’s Pantomine”) accented by some little instrumentals (the opener “Silver Spell” and “Sands Of Time”). It takes a few listens for the album to sink in, but it’s well worth it and it sits at a healthy 47 mins, so not too long at all.
Operus could quickly become major players with their epic symphonic metal. They have the talent and songwriting ability to be something special. Simply put, the future is bright for Operus.
