Souls, the latest offering from Scardust, sees the Israeli Progressive Metallers create a compelling delight that hooks you in from the start, taking you on a thrilling journey.
Scardust – Souls
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Liz Medhurst
Souls is the third studio album following the Sands Of Time in 2017 and Strangers albums in 2020. The band has opened for Blind Guardian, Symphony X, Epica, and Therion, and performed at headline shows across Europe at festivals, increasing their fanbase and critical acclaim with each trip. 
There is a lot going on here, as you would expect from an album of this genre. All the essentials for Progressive Metal – strings, tempo changes, choirs, unexpected turns – are present and correct and done extremely well, with coherence and not a sight of a kitchen sink approach of throwing in elements ‘just because.’
Most of all, though, this is a captivating piece of work. The thing with Progressive Metal is that a lot of the time things can wander off and go on tangents, taking the attention with it.
This never happened here. The songs are structured enough to hold the interest, and at forty-two minutes in total, there is no danger of Souls outstaying its welcome.
Throughout, there are lots of solos and motifs allowing the whole band chances to shine. The gift of melody and the feel for a banging good tune sets them apart, as evidenced by the opener Long Forgotten Song. It may be a highly technical album, but it remains accessible.
All of the performances are stellar. But it is singer Noa Gruman who really shines. She is such a versatile singer with her ability to go from dramatic to caressing in a heartbeat, and possesses a huge range of both scale and emotions. Her vocalisations can be operatic one moment and jazzy the next, then sweetly tender, and it is all strikingly good.
It is not solely about the music, though. Scratch beneath the surface, and there are themes of the big stuff like life, death, loss, and connection, all with a suitably epic soundtrack.
As well as the band, there is an orchestra, and also the appearance of the Hellscore choir across the album, providing beautiful, dramatic harmonies, showcased well on End Of The World and Searing Echoes.
Other guests include Ross Jennings of Haken, who adds contrasting vocals to the closing Touch Of Life trilogy, ending the album on a high note and a feeling of deep satisfaction. A highly recommended album and a keeper.
Souls by Scardust is out now via Frontiers Music Srl. For more details, visit ffm.to/scardustsouls.
