01. Arcadia
02. Save the World
03. Angel Fell
04. Enter the Highlands
05. In the Palm of Your Hands
06. Alpha et Omega
07. Heart of Poison
08. Hourglass
09. Palace of Dreams
10. This Present Darkness
11. The Crown
12. Remnant
13. There Is No Farewell
14. Siúil a Rún (Acoustic Version)
15. Siúil a Rún (Bonus Rock Version)

Leah McHenry (vocals)
Timo Somers: (guitars, arrangement)
Barend Courbois (bass)
Sander Zoer (drums, percussion)
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Brent McHenry (orchestration)
Oliver Philipps (orchestration, pianos)

Canadian symphonic metal songstress Leah McHenry has put the finishing touches on Kings & Queens – her second full-length studio release. Leah continues to blend Celtic, world music, and progressive metal influences into European-style symphonic metal, resulting in a unique and interesting sound. Leah’s superb vocals are backed by an excellent band – many of whom will be immediately familiar to fans of European symphonic metal.

Leah released her debut CD Of Earth & Angels in 2012, and 2 EPs since (Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence in December 2012 and Otherworld in late 2013). She has built up a decent sized fan base thanks to her good use of social media and grass-roots publicity. Leah’s music in many ways is a blend of Leaves’ Eyes, Lana Lane, and Blackmore’s Night – with more of a metal influence. Celtic melodies and mythology bump into new age concepts and symphonic / progressive metal tones, and Leah and her friends deliver it with passion. The band consists of guitarist Timo Somers and drummer Sander Zoer – both members of Delain, and bassist Barend Courbois (Blind Guardian, Vengeance). Also contributing are Brent McHenry (orchestration) and Oliver Philipps (keyboards, orchestration). While being heavier and more metal than her prior efforts, Leah does not abandon the diversity of tone and tempo, the strong lyrics, and folk overtones that made her earlier releases so popular.

“Arcadia” starts off as brutally heavy track with massive bass and drums, but immediately softens to become a haunting and flowing mid to slow tempo rocker that highlights the diverse tone and atmosphere that characterize the rest of the album. “Save The World” is a rollicking folk metal track with lush orchestration and cool vocals, while “Angel Fell” is a sweeping medieval ballad built around driving bass and ethereal vocals. Leah’s Irish/Scottish blood runs high on the epic “Enter The Highlands,” a tightly performed track with many tempo changes and symphonic elements. The technical performances on this spirited song are near perfection, making it the true apex of the album. Leah’s vocal performance ranges from soft and sweet to smokey and sensuous on the slow rocker “In the Palm of Your Hands” and the guitars of Timo Somers are at their most expressive.

Celtic and Middle Eastern influences abound on the progressive “Alpha et Omega,” while “Heart of Poison” displays the veteran status and fine teamwork of drum and bass. The flowing guitar opening of “Hourglass” and soft vocals will immediately bring a number of Blackmore’s Night tunes to mind. The near 8 minute “Palace of Dreams” ramps up the energy and clearly displays Leah’s love for the more mystical side of symphonic metal, and some very strong guitar and keyboard work. “This Present Darkness” follows the same road, although this track is built more around Leah’s amazing voice.

“The Crown” is a triumphant ballad that builds in intensity as more and more layers of music are added as the song progresses. “Remnant” is powered by some precise and energetic bass and drum work. Choral vocals, a neat blend of acoustic instruments, intriguing bass work, and a flowing rhythm line make “There Is No Farewell” an epic folk metal track. Leah wraps the album in fine Celtic style with a beautiful acoustic version of the traditional Irish tune “Siúil A Rún”

Leah’s Kings & Queens will appeal to fans of symphonic metal, folk metal, and female-fronted rock. There is enough variety and diversity to please even the pickiest of listeners, and the sheer breadth of performance talents and songwriting skills set Leah apart from the crowd. Whether delivering symphonic bombast or delicate melody, Leah proves that she is an up-and-coming force not only in the symphonic genres, but in almost every melodic metal class. Kings and Queens is very highly recommended. ---Joe Mis, hardrockhaven.net

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1 	Prisoner 	5:05
2 	Remember 	4:14
3 	Old World 	4:00
4 	I Fade 	3:44
5 	Ex Cathedra 	4:27
6 	Ocean 	3:29
7 	A Thousand Years 	2:54
8 	Tragedy & Magic 	3:10
9 	Mainland 	4:58
10 	Say Yes 	4:12
11 	Confess My Love 	4:40
12 	Illusion 	4:12

Bass – Briton Liakakos
Drums, Percussion – Sean Lang
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Dave Hughes
Vocals, Synthesizer, Piano, Music By, Lyrics By – Leah

Symphonic metal has a history of being grandiose to a fault. Nightwish, Epica, Xandria and a host of others have played their part in helping power metal's sister genre garner popularity. Subsequently, fans have come to expect music of a fast-paced, hard-hitting nature; ripe with choirs and even full-blown orchestras. Then we have Leah (McHenry). While her contemporaries fuel the more elaborate side of symphonic metal, Leah's approach is of a far more basic nature.

As an eponymous project, Leah is primarily concerned with the vocals. The Canadian singer is, as one would suspect, fairly operatic. Her deliveries are almost exclusively slow and deliberate, though never to the point of sounding like a personal endurance test. When things do pick up, it's often thanks to short-lived guitar solos ("Old World"), though Of Earth & Angel's latter half does take more initiative than the first, especially on its two closing tracks. Even then, Leah never belts out her notes with any sense of urgency. Reinforcing this style is the distinct lack of instruments beyond guitar, bass and drums. The fact nearly every other symphonic band makes said elements integral to their music ends up working to Leah's favor. If anything, one may find themselves wanting to hear little to no instruments as the album goes on. Much of this has to do with how Leah's voice sounds. This isn't so much due to tonality so much as singing style; it's easy to imagine her serene vocals vibrantly emitting from a stage only to delicately echo off the walls. "Tragedy & Magic," one of the album's shortest tracks, makes for a proper showcase of this.

Another reason Of Earth & Angels makes a strong case for Leah's vocals, at the expense of the album's overall quality, is how it sounds instrumentally. It's easy to get the impression that each song was given non-vocal backing for the sake of technically being a metal album. The light folk influences are mostly befitting and serve as an appropriate background for the gleaming subject of focus. Even so, everything is downplayed to where it starts to feel like an afterthought, but still achieves some degree of distraction. The guitar playing is primarily to blame. David Hughes feels like he's caught somewhere between restraint and disinterest, which may have to do with Of Earth & Angel's own reluctance to fully stretch out. Album closer "Illusion" is one pleasant exception, thanks to everyone performing in a more upbeat manner. By and large, however, the preceding tracks demonstrate a lack of genuine symbiosis between singer and guitarist.

Of Earth & Angels both presents and realizes plenty of potential, especially for a debut from a mostly unknown artist. Where it blunders most is with regards to direction, a misstep that's more of a mild annoyance than anything else. Outside of Leah's vocals, however, nothing stands out, so prospecting listeners can take solace in the fact it's easy to appreciate what she has to offer. Whether Leah chooses to define herself with more folk influences or greater concentration on her singing remains to be seen, but either avenue is bound to result in ample enjoyment. --- Xenorazr, sputnikmusic.com

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