ALBUM REVIEW: Janas – Souls Of Diotima

Italian power metal is often unfairly lumped into a single pot, as if every band from their fair shores loves RHAPSODY OF FIRE and wants to imitate them as closely and cheesily as possible. It’s unfair because it means there are bands doing markedly different things within the symphonic sphere that might get passed over. Having been around since 2004 and now onto their fourth album, SOULS OF DIOTIMA draw their inspiration from Mediterranean legends and folklore. Titled Janas, the album tells the story of the Janas, fairy creatures from the island of Sardinia and is a continuation of the themes of its predecessor The Sorceress Reveals – Atlantis. Sardinia has a rich cultural and mythological history, something the band have sought to capitalise on and share through their music, painting a picture of a fascinating historical and cultural journey through time. 

Janas opens with the album’s lead single The Black Mask that features a chugging riff and gang chants, initially having much more in common with hard rock than symphonic metal. The chorus features the more usual soaring vocals courtesy of Claudia Barsi, whose ability to switch from deeper and almost gritty to quasi-operatic is impressive. Follow up Sleep Demon takes the hard rock approach further, with a riotous stomp to its chorus, whereas The Princess of Navarra plays far more into power metal ballad territory. It makes for a very jarring, abrupt switch in tone that doesn’t quite sit right. 

These switches in tone aren’t always so jarring, though; The Dark Lady melds together flourishes of keys and power metal sensibilities and is followed by Ichnos Superhero that takes a galloping riff and folds in mammoth vocal hooks custom-built to get singalongs going. As with all symphonic and power metal, it’s a self-indulgent album, relishing in multi-layered instrumentation, strings, backing vocals and much more but SOULS OF DIOTIMA have the experience and song-writing nous to ensure it doesn’t muddy the waters and spoil their grandiose aspirations. Claudia’s vocal performance is stellar throughout, effortlessly switching between emotional croons, more aggressive moments and soaring melodies. Fabio Puddu’s guitar work is exemplary too – his solo in My Roots being of particular mention as well as his ability to write a cracking riff (The Black Mask) and it’s all underpinned by a more than capable rhythm section. 

The band are a little too reliant on power balladry, however. The Princess of Navarra, the title track and Maty are all slow numbers and it’s a shame. Despite the songs being entertaining in themselves, they rob the album of much of its momentum and power, especially of the first three songs on the record, two of them are ballads. Besides this, Janas is a well-executed album bolstered by a rich, warm production that ensures the guitars are crunchy and the symphonic elements are bold and bombastic. 

Overall SOULS OF DIOTIMA’s style is easy to pigeonhole as a symphonic band but that’s a little simplistic. Theirs is a rich tapestry woven from history and myth, alongside symphonic and more progressive elements that comes together into something more unique. Songs vary in composition and texture but there’s a commonality both in theme and sound that draws them all together into a cohesive, entertaining whole. 

Rating: 7/10

Janas is set for release January 29th via Rockshots Records. 

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