TORN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

One of the most distinctive female voices in metal and also one of the most criminally underrated, Sarah Jezebel Deva has been conspicuous by her absence from the metal scene for a number of years. While not a full-throated comeback by any means, "As If We Never Existed" showcases exactly what we have been missing. As with her previous project ANGTORIA, she teams up here with studio wizard and multi-instrumentalist Chris Rehn, and while this is self-funded DIY project at present, the ongoing chemistry between the duo is obvious and demands the opportunity to be fully explored.

There are four original songs here, each one a gleaming symphonic metal gem. As demonstrated on ANGTORIA's sole full-length album, "God Has a Plan for Us All", Sarah and her creative partner are masters of grandiose arrangements artfully welded to razor-sharp pop sensibilities. Opener "The Beauty Of Deception" suggests that their collaboration has matured and sharpened its focus in the years since they last made music together. Fearlessly catchy and yet shrouded in dreamy atmospherics, the song is a wonderful showcase for Sarah's voice and her unmistakable blend of the angelic and the crestfallen. "Transparent" is even better with a strident metallic undertow and sublime vocal harmonies, it effortlessly punches at the same weight as symphonic metal's established big names. A glacial, gothic rock haunting, "The Woman That Never Was" is the finest thing here, with a sublime chorus and some serious scaling of the octaves from SJD. Tangled up in spiraling synths and swimming in pathos, "All Eyes On Me" is ferociously radio friendly in the best possible way; while a closing cover of ADELE's "Hello" succeeds in infusing the original's show-tune bombast with subtle dark shades that lift Sarah's bruised but tender vocal skyward.

An authentic trailblazer in a world that still feels less inclusive than it should be, Sarah Jezebel Deva has always been a class act. TORN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS feels like the perfect vehicle for her talents. More of this, please.