I saw this album with a good cover art sold as a second hand item, and after checking out the samples from Oratory website, bought it. Neo classical metal is not my thing, but Ana Lara's voice is spellbinding to say the least.

Musicwise, Oratory do not present anything new. Nightwish's dominant synths, Freedom Call's joyous feel and the symphonic elements heard so many times clash together in Oratory, after all giving them some personality. The music is powerfully performed, as the band is tight and on a party mood, but there are no mistakes in playing. The music is driving, whether it's fast double kick drum stuff or mid-paced bang-that-fist stuff. 'Story of All Times' is the only slower song, and that suits me. Saccharine level of the music is high, sometimes too high for my liking, but it suits better to a band with a female singer, than to an all-guy band. Overally, the music ranges from average to very good, including a bunch very strong songs ('Living Wisdom', 'Eternal' and 'Song of Lust'). As compositions, they simply are not very adventurous, unlike the album's cover art and lyrical theme may suggest: based on the book "Os Lusiadas" written by Lu

Rating: 7+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
02/16/2005 13:22