BELLA D – The Crystal Ceiling (2016)
She has been a mainstay on the club scene for years but now songstress BELLA D turned her attention to “The Crystal Ceiling“, her debut album packed with big riffs, bombastic drums and her particular voice that stands up alongside most from the current scene.
While Bella D – real name Christie Oakes – and “The Crystal Ceiling” is being promoted as symphonic rock / metal, in fact the overall musical approach has many hard rock sonics which makes it really interesting: some kind of Robby Valentine or Valensia with a progressive touch. Think Robby’s Aniday as well.
Oakes’ voice is that if Sarah Brightman had a baby with Emilie Autumn and the badass that is Lzzy Hale, that it would be Bella D. Her voice is one to be reckoned with – it is fiery, fierce, highly melodious and full of inspiration.
Bella D’s partner in the making of “The Crystal Ceiling” is Charlie Zeleny (also known as DRMAGDN) who not only co-wrote, produced and played drums on the record, he also wrangled an impressive group of musicians to guest on the effort, including players affiliated with everyone from Joe Lynn Turner to Billy Joel, Taylor Swift to Alice Cooper.
What is so fascinating about “The Crystal Ceiling” is its concept, based around a mythical character – Oakes’ Bella D alter ego – battling against the odds in a dystopian alternate world (one, by her own admission, inspired by ‘Blade Runner’).
Right from the outset, you can hear – nay, feel – the furious yet melodic defiance in Oakes’ voice. Opening with a dense crunching riff – one which is reprised at key moments throughout the tale – the singer luscious vocals soars gloriously into the stratosphere, swooping majestically over the density of the music as it sets the scene of the story’s heroine desire to escape from the claustrophobic encapsulation of her circumstances.
‘End Of The World’ sees Oakes’ exploring the more melodic aspects of her impressive range, a truly emotional song more close to melodic hard rock than anything, with stupendous atmospheres and solod instrumentation. A highlight.
‘Save Me’ is a plea to do just that. Building from a huge orchestration, Oakes strips her vocal back to its pure essence, pushing the longing and desire of the album’s heroine to the fore with an impassioned appeal to her inner self.
‘My Fate is Survival’ is one of the signature moments; its built on a staccato riff which revolves around electric violins rather than guitars, with the latter crunching and punching at key moments, while Oakes’ voice is filled with the realization that she can indeed break free from her bonds. It is an epic song: broad and sweeping in its ambition, filled with multiple layers of carefully crafted melodies and harmonies and topped off with a beautifully angst-laden vocal.
‘There’s No Room For You’ is angry yet morose, a defiant middle-finger salute to our heroine’s circumstances, which also helps the album pick up the pace as it concludes its first act with fierce intent.
The title track swings the album on its hinges, capturing both the darkness and the vitality of what has gone before while looking optimistically to the pending outcome of the storyline. ‘The Shattered Mirror’ opens the second half in truly majestic style, while still retaining the melancholia of some of the earlier refrains, with Oakes’ voice projecting pain, pathos and expectation in equal measure as she declares that she “must live for tomorrow”.
‘Battle On’ reflects the darkness which comes from the initial dawn of hope, the moments of self-doubt which challenge our desire to rise above the noise and confusion of our struggle, but which ultimately make us stronger and more determined to do what the title tells us.
‘Danger Truly Dawns’ continues this theme, and does so with the defiance which characterizes the entire album, and especially Oakes’ deeply personal performance: her vocal is almost acidic in its delivery, while the Celtic feel of the fiddle which winds around her adds an air of mystical strength, while the latter half is dominated by another guitar strut.
‘Invincible’ embodies that very strength, as Oakes’ personal victory oozes through the vibrant joyousness of both the lyric, while closer ‘Dio Solitario Della Notte’ is reflective yet elegiac, Oakes showing the airiness of her voice which has been prevalent throughout the album, as she lets both the words and their meaning breathe their own breaths.
‘The Crystal Ceiling’ is a beautifully crafted album, a stunning debut which appeals on every level, which evokes personal struggles (Oakes was diagnosed with breast cancer some time ago) and the triumph of the spirit over adversity.
In that, it marks the arrival of a brilliant new talent.
Highly Recommended
01 – Breaking Free
02 – End of the World
03 – Save Me
04 – My Fate Is Survival
05 – There’s No Room For You
06 – The Crystal Ceiling
07 – The Shattered Mirror
08 – Battle On
09 – Danger Truly Dawns
10 – Invincible
11 – Dio Solitario Della Notte
Bella D – Vocals
Charlie Zeleny aka DRMAGDN – Drums, Synths
guest musicians:
Karl Cochran: Guitar (Ace Frehley, Joe Lynn Turner)
Tommy Kessler: Guitar (Blondie, Rock of Ages)
Matt Beck: Guitar (Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas)
Oscar Albis Rodriguez: Guitar, Bass, Keys (A Great Big World)
Matt Rubano: Bass: (Taking Back Sunday, All-American Rejects)
Greg Smith: Bass (Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Billy Joel)
Steve Ferlazzo: Keys (Avril Lavigne)
David Cook: Keys (Taylor Swift)
Paul Morris: Keys (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rainbow)
Joe Deninzon: Strings (Richie Blackmore, Bruce Springsteen)
Daniel Flam, New York Brass: Horns (Kanye West)
Bashiri Johnson: Percussion (Michael Jackson, Queen)
Daniel Sadownick: Percussion (Steely Dan, Billy Idol)
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