LEAH – Otherworld – CD review

LEAH
Otherworld
Ex Cathedra Records

See, that’s the problem with their being so much music in the world. You miss stuff. Which is why I’m drawing attention to this EP, which came out at the end of 2013. Because, it’s pure dead brilliant, so it is.

I’d never heard of Leah (McHenry), a colonial from over in Canadia, who seems to be getting tagged as Celtic metal, a tag that is wrong, because she is light on the metal. No, it’s more symphonic Celtic rock, almost as if Sarah Brightman had decided to do an album of Nightwish ballads. Which means this is very much up my street.

2012 saw Leah release her first album “Of Earth And Angels” as well as a three-track EP, “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”, which I suspect I may have to invest in given how addictive “Otherworld” is. Things rarely get above a canter, but the music draws you into its veil, and before you know it, you’ve hit the repeat button on ‘Shores of Your Lies’ more times than is good for you. That’s the highlight for me, closely followed by ‘Dreamworld’, which sees an appearance from Testament guitarist Eric Peterson. But things hardly go all “Practice What You Preach”, as he tailors his style to Leah and the song.

She has a fabulous voice and I found the music enthralling, posibly because I’m a Scotchman with Irish roots, but more likely, it’s because “Otherworld” is just so, um, otherworldly. Be warned, however. This EP contains a flute.
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