Tantal - Expectancy
BakerTeam Records
Progressive Melodic Death Metal
10 songs (59:00)
Release year: 2014
Reviewed by Joel
Surprise of the month

Tantal is a Russian Progressive Melodic Death Metal Band. With the release of Expectancy(a third release from the band, and in all acounts, my first exposure to them) the band has added a permanent female vocalist, to the mix. Not something new with melodic death bands, but Ms. Milana Solovitskaya, has one of the better voices I have heard within this genre. Through The Years, has a sound that fans of bands like Nightrage or Arch Enemy will enjoy. The female vocals like I mentioned are well done, though death metal traditionalist may not enjoy the all the melodic-ness or the clean vocals. After listening to this song, I would wonder if this was the only way this talented singer was utilized, because she only sings in the chorus of the song. The guitar solos, the trade off between both guitarists are well played, as well as technical and very proficient. Expectancy Pt 1(Desert In My Soul) weaves in and out of tempo changes with Solovitskaya on lead vocals during the first verse, and in several parts of the song. The mixture of death and clean vocals are perfectly mixed and not jarring at all. ..... clean vocals on this song reminds me of Ailyn of Sirenia. Echoes Of Failures has a truly epic beginning with some great lead playing throughout the entire song. A very progressive metal sounding song that mixes in the atmosphere and heaviness all at the same time. Some great vocals from both vocalist, and the previously mentioned guitar playing. Listen for the sudden change in the song, as the dynamics of the song shift ever so seamlessly. The short but well played acoustic guitar piece known as In Times of Solitude is next, and segues into the heavier Nothing(Selfish Acts).

Both Nothing(Selfish Acts) and Pain That We All Must Go, share the beauty and beast trade off vocals, with the stronger song going to the latter. The chorus really catches your attention, and if the song had huge strings, you would think this was a symphonic metal band. Expectancy 2(Despair) starts with some really well played guitar arpeggios mixed with some solid lead playing. This is one of the heavier songs, and the song does not slow down, even when the clean vocals come in. The death vocals of.... are downright guttural and get your attention. Special mention should be made to drummer, Vyacheslav Gyrovoy with his very aggressive playing style and ability to change tempos in an instance. Under The Weight Of My Sorrow is bassist, Michael Krivuletz time to shine during the intro. A big melodic guitar riff follows, before the mid-paced song kicks in. The song has a very cool guitar riff and melody heard throughout this song, that has a groove that gets you headbanging. In The End Pt. 2(Epitaph) is a beautifully played acoustic song with clean vocals. The guitarists show their talent, with some amazing playing, and the solo is worth listening to over and over again. The Russian sung V moih Glazah(In My eyes), ends the track, and I wish I spoke Russian, to know what the lyrics meant.

This is a talented group of musicians, who have made a great disc. I hope they can release a follow up that is just as good, and my only advice is not to fall into the same vocal trade offs or song structures and keep things fresh, as they have on this disc. I know with this style of music it is difficult, but I believe Tantal can pull it off. If your open to melodic death metal, that has female vocals, or progressive metal that has an added death metal element, then this is a disc for you. This was a very difficult release to label as far as its musical style, so I will leave it up to all of your best judgements. Melodic, aggressive, and dynamic is the best way I can describe Expectancy, and I hope to expect great things from this Russian band in the future.
Tantal is:
Milana Solovitskaya- vocals
Vyacheslav Gyrovoy - drums
Alexander Strelnikov - guitars
Michael Krivuletz - bass
Dmitry Ignatiev - guitars
Watch the trailer for the new disc HERE

Killing Songs :
I liked them all, with the two title tracks among the best
Joel quoted 86 / 100
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