Fairyland

Normally the name of a band is not the focus on a site such as this, but in this case an exception must be made. It clearly says something about the difference between the current metal cultures of Europe and America, where in France a band can call themselves Fairyland and actually expect to be taken seriously. Apparently the band previously tried some other names, only slightly better (Fantasy, Fantasia) before settling on their present monicker. On to the music ... Fairyland specializes in bombastic, symphonic, keyboard-driven metal (at times the guitars seem almost buried beneath the swirling keyboards), often reminiscent of Rhapsody Of Fire (indeed, Fairyland does sound like any number of Italian bands playing this style), with vocals courtesy of former Dark Moor singer Elisa Martin. Martin is a rarity among female singers in metal, most of whom specialize either in softer, more angelic vocals (Tarja Turunen et. al.), or, in a few cases, opt for the other extreme of death-ish growls (Angela Gossow, Karyn Crisis). Elisa Martin, on the other hand, is a classic Euro power metal vocalist who just happens to be female. (Update: she has since been replaced.) Her vocals fit the music perfectly, while the backing male choirs, though technically well performed, are a bit overdone. In general, Fairyland's songwriting is sometimes adventurous in a good sense, and sometimes overly grandiose in a bad sense. Clearly the target audience here is European, and those into Rhapsody-styled symphonic music with a fantasy bent will like this band. But, that name ...

In July 2007 the entire band, save founder Phillipe Giordana, departed to pursue their own project. Giordana retained the Fairyland name, proclaiming that the band was now formally a solo project. He passed away in October 2022, presumably ending the group.

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Discography

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