Anette Olzon – Rapture (2024)

Anette is back with her third solo album and taking into account her recent releases with Anette/Allen and Dark Element, we could say that she is in a very productive period. Her solo career was initiated with the album Shine that had a little, if any, overlap with metal and perhaps her best record due to how unique and special it was. After that the artist chose to walk the Symphonic Power Metal path, with this being realized by her collaboration with Magnus Karlsson. 

What Rapture brings to the table, is a darker/ heavier side, since as Anette said the world we live in has become darker as well. Considering it is the project of a singer, it is only natural that the final result will have a strong focus on the vocals, which ends up being the strongest asset of the album. In fact, every good moment of this record derives from Anette’s performance. Interesting vocal melodies, variety in the styles, beautifully woven choirs and strong choruses. 

I want to point out that the above comments apply to clean vocals only. Rapture also features some brutal ones that for me, they do not make the cut. Their usage may be supported by the album’s darker tone, but the songs do not need them and in my ears they do not sound very good.  

And now time to address the elephant in the room. Vocals/choirs aside, the instrumental backbone of the album seems to be just a vehicle that allows Anette to unfold her ideas. If we take a look at Magnus Karlsson’s resume, we will find at least 11 releases in the past five years. Let that number sink in, because the majority of bands that were formed in the new millennium, have not achieved that volume yet. In my mind it is next to impossible to be a part of at least six bands, without sacrificing innovation and creativity in the meantime.   

Where does that lead us? In an album that is mainly targeted towards Anette’s fanbase, or fans that can’t get enough of that style. Rapture is certainly not bad, it’s just that it belongs in a music category that begs for fresh ideas and new approaches. Going for a heavier production and adding brutal vocals cannot compete with the character albums like Shine have and while I cannot make an educated guess, a superficial look of some streaming numbers point to that. 

Anette in 2024 seems to have a solid background for giving us something great, an opinion that is enhanced from the fact that her parts in the album are what shine the most. All said, it is very pleasant that she has found a way to regularly create new music. If the scope of such an album is to keep the fanbase happy, it fulfills its purpose. If future works want to shake the foundations of Symphonic Power Metal outside of said fanbase, it will need a musical landscape that goes hand in hand with Anette’s vocal work. 

67/100

Pavlos Pavlakis 

On behalf of Metal Domain