The symphonic metal landscape has the potential to be so much more than it actually is. Somehow, the bigger bands end up doing similar things: sacrificing complexity in the songwriting for more bombastic arrangements, the female vocals are clean and operatic, the male vocals are growled or screamed. Spain’s Stravaganzza was having none of that and decided to not let themselves be limited by symphonic metal conventions. The results are every bit as bombastic, but much more unpredictable and therefore rewarding listening experience. And none of their works is more impressive than their excellent sophomore album ‘Sentimientos’.

Any genre tag one could apply to Stravaganzza would not be fully accurate. None of the elements in their sound is entirely new, but they work together in a way I have not quite heard done this way before or since. Pepe Herrero’s downtuned rhythm guitars and thematically strong lead guitar parts leave plenty of room for the distinctly gothic overtones of his orchestrations and keyboards, as well as Leo Jiménez’ downright fantastic vocals. The riffs and rhythms are generally significantly denser and busier than those of other symphonic metal bands. Besides, Stravaganzza doesn’t mind dialing back the orchestrations significantly if a song like ‘Soledad’ asks for it.

‘Sentimientos’ appears to be a themed album, as every song title is an emotion. This must have given the songwriting some clear directions, because every song fits its title surprisingly well. However, the songs are not as predictable as that idea may suggest. ‘Odio’, for instance, is not the ripping monster one might expect from a track called “hate”, but instead a brooding track full of tension boiling beneath the surface. Interestingly, the album starts with its more direct, hard-hitting tracks and slowly morphs into something more epic and multi-layered. The fantastic opening track ‘Miedo’ has plenty of awesome theatrics though.

Prior to hearing Stravaganzza, I was familiar with Leo Jiménez through his work with Saratoga, but nothing could have prepared me for the range of expression he displays here. He can go from fragile and small to immensely powerful without it sounding contrived or like he is milking emotions that aren’t there. Most of ‘Sentimientos’ is sung in his clear, forceful rock timbre, but he has the gravitas for the more operatic moments as well. His voice is what elevates a relatively simple track like the sorrowful ‘Desilusión’ or the gorgeous power ballad ‘Pasión’ to something heartfelt and moving. But he moves through the different shades of the hyper-dynamic closing tack ‘Dolor’ just as easily.

When someone avoids symphonic metal, it could be for a multitude of reasons. If those reasons include the fact that the songs are too predictable and the choruses are too upbeat, listening to Stravaganzza is highly recommended. ‘Sentimientos’ is full of complex, unpredictable, yet surprisingly listenable music with a singer who consistently enhances the intensity and the pathos of the music. The listening experience is also helped by the fact that none of the elements drown each other out in the production. ‘Sentimientos’ is dark, it’s powerful, it’s occasionally menacing and it’s some of the best gothic-tinged metal I have ever heard.

Recommended tracks: ‘Desilusión’, ‘Miedo’, ‘Dolor’, ‘Frustración’