Alternative Metal Band Exilia Release New Album “Heroes and Dust”
By Justice Petersen
Hailing from Milan, Italy, Exilia has released their seventh studio album, “Heroes and Dust”, which is as thrilling as it is impactful. Playing with melodic riffs and harmonious speed, the group shows their extensive musical capabilities as well as their incredible range as artists and as humans.
Formed in 1998, the nu-metal band consists of Masha Mysmane (vocals), Wolve (guitar), Simone Matteo Tiraboschi (bass), and Mark Campailla (drums). Stomping into the music scene at a time when alternative music was not popular in Italy, Exilia has proven to be a breakthrough force as they have gone to tour with bands such as Rammstein and HIM. Combining nu-metal with feminine rage, thanks to Mysmane and her iconic gritty vocals, Exilia is electrifying as Mysmane screams about her deepest and most raw emotions. With her fiery musical presence, raspy vocals, and poetic songwriting, Exilia exudes the same electrifying energy as female-fronted bands such as Halestorm, Otep, and In This Moment.
On their newest release, which came out on April 21 under Principal Studios, Exilia shows a wide range of sounds and emotions as the entire album has a common theme of finding power and being reborn as you grow into the person you are truly meant to be. They combine heavy songs (both compositionally and lyrically) with more light-hearted tracks such as “In My Shadows” as well as a cover of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”. By covering such a danceable and iconic pop song, the Italian metal band shows that they can twist anything into their own unique and symphonic sound and do so extremely well.
“Heroes and Dust” opens with a speedy track, “Feel the Fire”, that attacks with crunchy guitars combined with beautifully brutal vocals. The opening lyrics “Show me the way to stand against a million eyes, a million souls” prepare listeners for what is going to be an orchestral journey through unapologetic passion and inimitable artistic rage.
“Feel the Fire ” is immediately followed by “In The Afterglow ”, a thrashier track that stampedes through its opening and verses before hypnotizing you with its honey-like choruses. As the bridge carries you from the verse to the chorus, it almost gives a feeling of relief, similar to how you feel when your biggest obstacle has finally been overcome and removed from your life for good. Exilia, in their music, shows that they can cover all sides of heavy metal and the human experience; their music is soft, delicate, and intricate but it is also leather, studs, and spikes.
In the song, “In My Shadows”, a song that sounds like you should play it on full blast as you drive along the highway at sunset, opens with the lyrics, “Time is a snake that goes around my heart, it turns me so deeply, it’s changing this place, it’s choking my mind, I’m awake with my snake, it puts a gun to my head, my mind is running in circles.”
As she sings about hiding in her shadows and feeling this pressure from the passing of time, Mysmane can hook listeners with her remarkable lyrics and vivid imagery. “The sun goes down until the dusk skies are dust,” she sings. Although this song is more somber with its words, the upbeat musicality of it is reassuring and whoever hears it will be hooked as they find the song wrapped around their own heart.
Although they have been around for nearly 25 years, Exilia shows on “Heroes and Dust” that they remain an unstoppable and magnetic force. Stomping through every track on the record, each song proves that Exilia is constantly fighting and clawing its way to musical excellence and renaissance.
“Heroes and Dust”, the newest release from Exilia, is available now.
Read more reviews here!
Links:
Official: https://exiliamusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExiliaMusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/exiliamusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exilia_music_official/