Single Review: David Olivares – Ghostlights Epic Medley Cover for #METALMOMENTUM
Band: David Olivares
Title: Ghostlights Epic Medley Cover
Label: Independent
Release date: December 22nd, 2023
Country: Chile
Format reviewed: Video clip
Single Review: David Olivares – Ghostlights Epic Medley Cover for #METALMOMENTUM by Elyna
It has been a while since I wanted to treat myself to what is coming up next: a medley.
I am not a big fan of medleys, but quite obsessive about complete songs.
I can listen to an entire album for hours and days. Because of this, a medley often feels like a kind of commercial: something that, hopefully, skims the surface and prevents you from appreciating the pieces that make it up.
However, there is a beautiful exception to that perception. It is the -for lack of another adjective- impressive Ghostlights Medley (EPIC Avantasia Cover), a work of art created by the brilliant Chilean musician David Olivares in video clip format, which honours one of the most powerful and darkest albums of Tobias Sammet’s project. In just over 8 minutes, David manages to condense the imposing essence of the album, taking sections from 13 of the best tracks among the 24 that compose it: Mystery of a Blood Red Rose, Let the Storm Descend Upon You, The Haunting, Seduction of Decay, Ghostlights, Draconian Love, Master of the Pendulum, Isle of Evermore, Babylon Vampyres, Lucifer, Unchain the Light, A Restless Heart, Obsidian Skies and Wake Up to the Moon. The overall length of the medley, meanwhile, is just right, as it captures the listener’s attention from beginning to end; it doesn’t ‘fade’, as they say in good Chilean, but keeps the excitement and curiosity high, as the sections follow one after the other.
The result is a marvel of musical craftsmanship, where each fragment intertwines with the next in an ethereal dance, with transitions that flow naturally like a rhapsody, like a singe scene from a powerful, dark, and sublime epic. Ghostlights Medley (EPIC Avantasia Cover) is not just a collage of fragments, but a narrative journey, where each portion is placed as to provide a magical experience with masterful musical execution.
David Olivares amazes not only for his musical intelligence and his ability to assemble everything with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker, but also for his ‘clinical eye’ to summon vocal geniuses. In this work, David meets four incredible singers: Mikael Salo, Artemij Ryabovol, Carmen Grandi, and Jaehoon Lee. In Ghostlights Medley (EPIC Avantasia Cover), each brought a unique nuance and character, with well-defined sonic identities and personalities, as if they were the four musketeers ready to join forces and bring to life an adventure full of textures and magic
Later on, my three absolute favourites involve the impressive Mikael Salo: in Let the Storm Descend Upon You and Master of the Pendulum, leading the vocal quartet with power and strength; and in Lucifer, a duet with Lee, where he personifies the very son of darkness in an apotheosic performance, on the level of Jorn Lande himself. Finally, Wake Up the Moon brings the curtain down on the medley, with Artemij bringing the master Tobias Sammet to the stage with his vibrato and colour, thus closing this magnificent experiment that fully honours the spirit of Avantasia’s Ghostlights.
As for the instrumentation, Ghostlights Medley (EPIC Avantasia Cover) positions David Olivares as one of the most talented multi-instrumentalists within the Chilean metal scene -even metal world in general. It was he who recorded all the music, including the orchestrations, guitars and drums, managing to represent both the epic darkness and intensity of Ghostlights, rescuing and enhancing the melodic narrative of the album.
Talented Benji Connelli, Finnish master soundman and keyboardist of Metal de Facto and Everfrost, was in charge of the mastering process, managing to balance the energy and power of the medley while keeping the clarity in the instrumental and vocal aspects. No element is lost, which conveys elegance and coherence, something that is a hallmark of the Avantasia style.
In short, with Ghostlights Medley (EPIC Avantasia Cover), David Olivares proves that music knows no barriers. From the south of the world, David manages to capture the magic of one of Avantasia’s darkest and most memorable chapters, while adding his own vision. And not only that: his work, together with the collaboration of four great singers, not only delights fans of Ghostlights – and of Sammet’s project – but is also a gateway, a sample compendium for those who have not yet heard the album, creating a window for more fans to join the Avantasia family.
Thus, Ghostlights Medley (EPIC Avantasia Cover) is a heartfelt, evocative, and powerful tribute from a talented musician who is a fan of Sammet’s work, who knows the master well, and who, with his artistry, turns each fragment of the album into an epic journey, celebrating Avantasia’s greatness with intensity and passion. 10/10
David Oivares
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Singers
Mikael Salo
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Artemij Ryabovol
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Producer Benji Connelly
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10/10 Immortal Classic
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