Adana Project - Veradardz

Adana Project is my first encounter with Armenian metal music, and I have to say straight away, I was – and still am – more than pleased with their music offering.

Fronted by the amazing Mane Tonoyan, with the vocal ability similar to Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine), this group of Armenian musicians bring to the listeners the plethora of Armenian folk tunes mixed with the symphonic/heavy metal. I’m not gonna say it’s a match made in heaven, but when I am in a mood for such genre…it just fits.

Veradardz (or, The Return, if you – like me – don’t know Armenian) opens with “Araks”, which right from the start makes clear what you’re gonna get here. The guitar riffing reminds me of the heavy metal of 1980s…I can’t decide if I like the keyboard work here, but I am more inclined towards the approval. As mentioned previously, Mane Tonoyan’s vocals are powerful and if she leads men into the battle…well, I am betting my last pound they will follow. I would. So far, I can’t complain.

“Gini Lic” is even more folkish than the previous song, and Mane is joined by the chorus of the male members, and it reminds me of our own, Slovak, folk songs. I think some melodies are simply shared across nations, and it just helps to connect with the band in an instant. Also the drum sound, sounding tribal (or maybe more like war drums), makes this song epic. And epic I like.

With “Tarm Tsaghikner” I am enjoying the power ballad. You know, heavy metal bands do power ballads…but singer is a male – for the first verses. I couldn’t find who is Mane’s male singing counterpart, but he’s not bad, and the music is soothing, but when Mane starts her part, you can feel the energy from her voice flowing through your ears. Do I praise her enough? Well, she deserves it. Again, nice song.

Back to the mighty metal music! “Garahisar” unmistakably blends the folk with the power riffs aided by the keyboards…folk is again the foundation of the song, however, I have to say I don’t enjoy it as much as previous ones. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad song, it has everything you want…but the folk melody here is a bit simplistic. But the guitar solo is great, and I can’t say I am suffering listening to the song…just a few other songs were better.

“Zartir Lao”, song under the number 5…first I though it’s sung in French! For some strange reason it reminds me of a song revolutionaries would sing. Or maybe a military song. The drums and the organ sound of the keyboards adds to the dramatic feel and this song is one of my favourites on this album. Damn, should I start the revolution or what?

And another slow beginning…I can’t even pronounce the title of the song, but you might manage better…it’s “Jshmartutyun Chka Urish”. Great vocals – again, we have a duet here – with a touch of tragedy in the singers’ voices and also great guitar solo again. However, I have to praise all the musicians, Adana Project works like a clockwork.

Probably the best track of the album is found in “Ime Ches Gitem”. Again, it’s a duet, and again, it’s a slow, sad ballad, with the deep tones of the piano emphasising what I think is a sad nature of the song’s lyrics. Mane has never sounded better than here and when she really puts her all into the song, it gives me goosebumps. This is just perfect.

The album closes with the longest (5:49) track “Im Elinar”, with Mane’s voice nicely vibrating in tones you can find in Turkish/Arabic melodies between the sound of the falling waterdrops…till the band joins in…and together they create a more than fitting end of the album you will want to spin a few times on repeat.

In closing…the only regret I have is this: I can’t find where to get this CD from. But you can listen to it on Spotify: