KLASMA ZINE # 15 (Niemcy)

Here it is - the second album of the polish VALINOR. A label deal couldn't be reached, which was expected. Because "Hidden beauty" ain't really convincing again. Though VALINOR condensed their musical basis by taking away the Gothic impact and certain Viking parts almost completely. What remained is a highly melodic, orchestral mixture of Black and Power Metal, enriched with slight Death Metal tendencies. The rate of Black Metal was even increased. Unfortunately the pompous keyboards and overdone epic parts are still dominating. The strong contrast of thundering guitars with hoarse growls and wide synths-parts, with substructures of tidy but even generic Melodic riffs, can't touch me in any way. At least there are no clean vocals or obtrusive choirs anymore. "Hidden beauty" altogether sounds much too calculated and somehow grown-up. It's like VALINOR wanted to appeal younger audience as well as listeners which like it more moderate and staid. I think this intention doesn't work. On the one hand being brutal with hard riffing and grunts. On the other hand sounding symphonic with a keyboard and playing sweet guitar melodies which doesn't hurt anyone. Does someone like that? Best example of a certain lack of ideas and a confusion are the instrumental parts which frame "Hidden beauty". The intro sounds orientalic and dramatic. The outro consists of sampled Ambient noises. The instrumental interlude "Hidden beauty - The beginning" (strange, because the title track starts right after the intro) gives us six and a half minutes of ballad-like, soft-rocking guitars and piano strumming. I can't get the message. So "Requiem" and "The bloodless face" are the songs I like even most. And coincidentally they are to find at the end of the album, as well as the best tracks of the previous album "It is night". But after all I really hoped for more. Too bad!