Never thought it would be possible to make metal without guitars. O.k., there is Apocalyptica and they give it a good shot, and now we add Van Canto to the pot. With only a drummer and 5 singers (4 men and one woman) they make metal. Metal? Yes, metal. Of course you miss the raging/riffing guitars and the thundering bass, but they do a perfect job imitating these instruments with their vocals.
Several times I thought that they used a guitar secretly, but listening closer, it turned out to be vocal parts indeed. Songs that impress the most are of course the covers that are because you recognize them immediately and you don't have to get used to them first. With Manowar's "Kings of Metal", Blind Guardian's "The Bard's Song", Nightwish's "Wishmaster" and Iron Maiden's "Fear of the Dark" they have chosen some excellent songs. With their vocals they perfectly arrange the bombast of "Wishmaster", but also the threatening atmosphere of "Fear of the Dark".
I think the best of their own songs is "Speed of Light"; a real bombastic, powerful power metal song. After listening to it for several times, you don't even miss the guitars. For those who have gotten curious, I would recommend to listen to their music on the site and when you are convinced and want to buy this one, get the one with the Bonus DVD. On that DVD you get a lot of videos and bonus material. One of them is Metallica's "Battery", Van Canto's version makes you smile all over again.
I recommend this for people who want to try something different and for girlfriends of metal heads that hate metal, to buy this one (or dump the b..ch). It's metal without guitars, so they can't complain.
