FYU ZINE
(Belgia)

Valinor is a Polish formation, of which the origins date back to 1993. Musically, the summary of "Hidden Beaty" feels odd. I don't know what the band actually aspires to produce, but this sounds like a kind of hardrock/powermetal approach with hoarse vocals (which, put together, are supposed to be symphonic black metal...?). It's just a combination of elements that don't seem to fit. Production-wise, the grubby mix makes it all feel more like a demo rather than a third effort or so. The songwriting is the standard ramble as well, with some uninspired riffs along the way. The band's excellence lies in its technical potential guitar-wise, with some mightily fine dual leads and epic melodies (occasionally reinforced by a synth). In those passages, the (happy) powermetal feeling emerges and the atmosphere is all good. Unfortunately, the drums are rather tedious and never convincingly pick up the pace, condemning the album to dynamicless (or at least predictable) droning after a while - which is partially the fault of the production, too. The band should simply redefine their genre. "Hidden Beauty" is floating about a bit, with genius tunes but simultaneously somewhat incoherent, and therefore missing that ultimate drive. Nonetheless, this album has enough to offer to spin more than once. If Valinor narrows the focus and heightens the standard for the next album, I'm definitely in for that one.

Note:77/100
Reviewed by: Exo666