Sidhe: She Is a Witch (2012)

Lacuna Mass

Around 2005, there was a time that I was really into female-fronted gothic metal. I devoured as much Nightwish and Lacuna Coil as I could find. (Don’t laugh. I heard about the stuff you were listening to.) It was a phase I outgrew quickly, but there are a handful of tracks from either band that I wouldn’t mind hearing again.

Italy’s Sidhe brings up a lot of those associations, at least with respect to Lacuna Coil. The singing style, and plenty of the music (like the riff which opens "She Is a Witch"), bears a strong resemblance to Lacuna Coil. But it also owes a good deal to Candlemass, in many other places (like “Witchcraft Way”).


The formula works quite well at times, as it should. An LC-type hook sung over a Candlemass riff can be superb, as “In the Twilight” proves. It’s catchy and it grooves. The vocal melodies are also quite memorable on their own, even the ones in Italian (see the chorus of “Il Vangelo Di Aradia”). But this band still has a long way to go on their first full-length.

Tytanja’s vocals are thinner and less emotive than Scabbia’s. She hasn’t yet found a way to make the most of her voice. They also need to cut a lot more of their weaker material, and put more feeling into their performances, because a lot of the riffs come out limp. It would be nice if they’d drop the Lacuna Coil influence from everything but the vocals, too. Ultimately, the vocals are the biggest draw for this, and it will probably appeal more to fans of the Coil than the Candle.

Maybe it could open a Revolver reader’s world to the wonder that is doom. If Sidhe can manage that, they deserve respect.

The Verdict: 3 out of 5 stars

This review originally appeared on Doom-metal.com.