Review: Elettra Storm – Evertale
Scarlet Records (October 24th, 2025)
Reviewer – Jason Hopper
Elettra Storm have returned to the scene, following on the heels of their 2024 debut to bring us ‘Evertale‘. I had mixed feelings on the debut (review here) but noted that the band showed a lot of promise if they could improve their lyrical content, phrasing, and melody flow. With this new record, the band have improved considerably on those aspects and created some fantastic songs that are on par with their contemporaries.
Album openers need to set the stage for what’s to come, and ‘Endgame’ delivers on that front. A solid metal rhythm with occasional double bass to add extra oomph and a great vocal delivery from Crystal Laura Emiliani make for a terrific opener.
The album has an assortment of melodies to keep things interesting. I gravitated more towards tunes that had something more to offer than standard power metal tropes. I’m sure there will be fans of speed metal tracks like ‘The Secrets of the Universe’ and ‘Blue Phoenix’. While those tracks are good, they lack originality for me. The one speed metal number that stuck with me was ‘Master of Fairytales’, with an effective grouping of melody changeups that gel well. It ebbs and flows its tempo in a perfect arrangement.
My favored songs featured on the latter half of the album. ‘Ride the Rainbow’ offers a bit of progressive tropes, but never strays too far into that realm, focusing on a chorus that exudes a strong mid-tempo construct.
A song that stands out from the others is the acoustic based ballad ‘One Last Ray of Light’. One obvious reason is the change in pace from all the tracks that preceded it. The other is due to the vocal performance from Crystal, as this is her best delivery. The way her octave changes during the chorus as she sings the title of the song is sublime and moving.
‘Judgment Time’ follows and is a duet with Crystal and guitarist Francis D. Mary and is the type of power metal I prefer, groove and power chords over speed and precision. Francis sings on other songs but mostly as a background vocalist. He gets to stand out here and the song benefits from his spotlighted inclusion.
The band saves their best track for the closer. ‘If the Stars Could Cry’ is superb. It’s the song that stuck with me the most, with a chorus I would sing in my head daily. The magic is found in Crystal’s phrasing of the words. The buildup of the bridge and the way her vocals glide over the melody is beautiful. Over eight minutes long, it’s the grand opus of the album but never seems to drag. I was engaged the entire time. Of their two albums released thus far, this is my favorite song from the band.
The band has grown in the right direction. Their fallacies have been overcome, and the band has improved upon their sound. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a string of albums where they build upon their strength. They have the ability to construct heavy, intricate, and melodic numbers. I wish them success with this album and many more in the future.
Tracklist:
- Endgame
- The Secrets of the Universe
- Hero Among Heroes
- Blue Phoenix
- Ride the Rainbow
- Master of Fairytales
- One Last Ray of Light
- Judgment Time
- If the Stars Could Cry
Line-up:
Crystal Emiliani – vocals
Francis D. Mary – guitars, vocals
Matteo Antoni – guitars
Davide Sportiello – keyboards, bass
Matteo Norbedo – drums
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