Never heard of Echoterra? Well, this could be the band to take the Nightwish crown. With the one-time genre leaders seemingly faffing around in the middle of nowhere the space they once occupied is up for grabs, and America s Echoterra could well be the band to fill it. Echoterra was formed by keyboard player Jonah W (Pyramaze) and guitarist Yan Leviathan (Avian) in 2007. The unusual but thought-provoking name came about because when Jonah and I were kicking ideas around he came up with something that ended in terra and I had the word echo going through my mind, recalls Leviathan. So we put em together and that was that. It is a very fitting name for us it refers to echoes throughout the Earth and that s us: lurking in the shadows with our music carrying on the wind. The band released their debut album The Law Of One in 2009 with ex-Therion singer Suvi Virtanen handling the vocals. Things geared up a notch though at the end of 2009 when ex-Visions Of Atlantis vocalist Melissa Ferlaak took over from Virtanen: the In Your Eyes EP came out in 2010 and featured three songs re-recorded from the debut album (as well as two instrumentals). According to Leviathan, Ferlaak was the original choice to front Echoterra, but when we approached her in 2007 she was very busy with Visions Of Atlantis and was unable to commit. Since we originally started the band strictly as a studio project, it wasn t crucial to have a singer that lived near us so we asked Suvi Virtanen to do the vocals on the first album. Not long after, Jonah and I felt that we should try to put a live band together and do some shows. Since Suvi lives in Finland and we re in the U.S., it was obviously very difficult to do so with her. So, we got hold of Melissa and asked her what her availability was and, as luck would have it, she was free of her other commitments. We were all very excited and wanted to get right into the studio. Instead of rushing to put an album together, we decided it would be better to release an EP with a few songs from the first album re-recorded with Melissa and added two instrumentals to round it out.  With the addition of drummer Adam Sagan and bassist Sam Van Moer the band have a stable line-up, and here we are now with Echoterra s highly-anticipated and tremendously exciting second album. It s a gloriously and overtly symphonic release with heavy guitars and the keyboards nicely to the fore, and Ferlaak s delicious vocals are the icing on the cake, soaring and weaving vocal tapestries above the magnificent soundscape below. Hence the Nightwish tag: Land Of The Midnight Sun inadvertently invokes memories of Oceanborn or Wishmaster as the likes of A Different Story or Welcome My Friend Of Misery play out, the latter being one of two that Leviathan reckons have some of the best lyrics that I have written (the other being the wonderful All The Lies ). Opener After The Rain has a storming guitar riff to kick things off, The Best Is Yet To Come features great performances from Ferlaak and Jonah W, and personal favourite Midnight Sun is a heavy, heads-down little blighter which again brings out the best in both singer and keyboard player. Overall the album features an organic, raw sound, rather than being polished and buff to death ( we re all metal heads at heart, laughs Leviathan, so we definitely wanted the album to have that live in the studio feel to it, ). The highlight is probably the majestic closer Genes Of Isis , which the guitarist feels is the song that pretty much encapsulates Echoterra: it s a very powerful and emotional song that gets your adrenaline going and will leave you with a positive feeling. That pretty much sums up what we're all about. --John Tucker OnlineSomething special happens when the right pieces come together. Formed in 2007 by guitarist Yan Leviathan and keyboardist Jonah Weingarten, Minnesota's Echoterra were a progressive symphonic metal puzzle missing a center piece. When Melissa Ferlaak (Visions Of Atlantis) replaced original vocalist Suvi Virtanen in late 2009, things changed, leading the band on the path to greater success than ever before. With the coming release of their second full length effort, first with Melissa at the lead, there are bright skies ahead in Land Of The Midnight Sun. The darting of keyboards leads off, welcoming in a screeching guitar and the powerful thud of kick drums of After The Rain. The vocals, bordering between gothic and operatic, enter. There is no denying the power possessed by Melissa, bringing to mind Nightwish's former songstress, Tarja Turunen. The orchestrations are deep and rich, culminating in an impressive solo. The majestic keyboards remain the outright star in The Best Is Yet To Come. They remain versatile, whether it be providing the lead melody, or simply atmospheric tones in the background. The headbanging guitar chords are the perfect fit. Together, it provides a clean slate for the vocals. And though the lyrics may fall short, the delivery is clean, crisp, and emotionally charged. The outro section has all the flare and energy of Dragonforce, but with the intelligence and skill Stratovarius. Melissa's operatic talents shine through in the early verses of Midnight Sun. The tempo has seen a jump, with guitars and drums racing one another. The breakdown shows the heavy side, guitars chugging away while the haunting vocal tones climb over the top. A keyboard solo of epic proportions steals the stage, running up and down the scales, precise and powerful. The sound of delicate keys somehow carries weight over distorted guitars and the crashing of cymbals, a theme for The Ghost Within My Heart. The use of ethereal synths is perfect, creating a mood that would otherwise be lost. Another lightning fast solo leads this one to a ghostly finish. The first chords of All The Lies may catch you off guard, giving off a dark, heavier energy than the previous tracks. But as Melissa's voice takes hold, you will find yourself soothed by her warmth. The keyboard work in this track is top notch, providing every necessary piece of the puzzle, all the while remaining fresh. The drumming is steadfast, though lacking a real change of pace. The robotic precision of the opening drums on Unleash The Flood is welcomed, opening the door for the winding operatic vocals to build. The slight grit of the guitars is much needed, allowing the keys, chords and voice to play off of one another. The piano melodies are astonishing, and will leave you in awe. The most well rounded track, A Different Story, offers a little piece of the spotlight to each member of the band. The guitars come through, a little stronger than before. The orchestrated pieces are perfect, locking together with the enchanting vocals. A strong bass presence helps to accentuate the drumming, something you may have been searching for earlier. The gray beauty of Welcome My Friend Of Misery and the spacey keyboards of Memories Of Another Time are the perfect one-two punch; so different, yet fitting together so well. The vocals are ambitious on From The Gutter To The Throne. The shackles are off, and Melissa takes a more aggressive approach. Her voice echos the melody, with wonderful tone and accuracy. It shows its greatest strength when paired with the clean piano, voice and ivory coming together in a glorious harmony. The rapid kicks and snares are flying about, shrouded in cymbal crashes and keyboard rhythms. --Sorrow EternalMinneapolis-based symphonic metallers ECHOTERRA has been on the scene since 2007, and have already created a stir with their awesome style of Symphonic Metal. Now the band s forthcoming and highly anticipated release, 'Land of the Midnight Sun', and the first with Melissa Ferlaaak (ex Visions of Atlantis) on vocals is nearly upon us, and rest assured, this new record is full of energy and excitement. Every song drawing upon a different facet of the symphonic metal genre, including influences from rock, power metal, opera, progressive together with some solid songwriting to boot. Kicking off with the symphonic 'After The Rain', what becomes apparent is the rawness of the production, and I hasten to add that this is a good thing, many bands these days sound too polished for their own good. 'The Best Is Yet to Come' is another good one, and Melissa is on top form...awesome! I am not going to highlight every track here as they are all rather good, including 'Midnight Sun', the catchy 'The Ghost Within My Heart', 'Welcome My Friend Of Misery', 'Memories of Another Time' and the epic closer 'Genes of Isis'. Echoterra will surely be making further waves within the Symphonic Genre with this release that will be due in October. As a consequence, I am sure that this is going to take Europe and the world by storm. Great stuff and highly recommended! ....9/10 (Dave) --Raven Heart Music