Persona - Animal

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German rockers PERSONA released their amazing third album “Animal” in October of last year, and WOW — it’s a force to be reckoned with without a doubt.

First of all, is there anything better than a good female-fronted rock or metal band? We love to see it. This was my first time hearing PERSONA and they are unbelievable. I’m absolutely a new fan after listening to this new album. Jelena Dobric has a beautiful and powerful voice, and it’s backed by a badass, heavy band. Dobric is amazing at both singing and screaming. Her screams remind me of Lauren Hart from ONCE HUMAN. It was her singing on the first song “Ghost” that blew me away, though. What a way to start an album. I really appreciate the good mix of both screaming and singing throughout.

“Hurricane” is another song I found especially impressive. It’s got a catchy, strong chorus and, just like the rest of the album, is filled with awesome riffs and drum fills. It’s got a pretty chunky breakdown, as well. Dobric really shows off her vocal prowess in “You Can’t Stop Me.” I love the vocal and musical technique she and the band use to make parts of this song sound haunted. Everything this band does is so heavy and catchy — it’s impossible not to headbang.

The song “Shadows” gives off major Amy Lee and EVANESCENCE vibes. It’s melodic and haunting, reminiscent of “My Immortal” on EVANESCENCE’s album “Fallen.” It’s a really pretty song. The band gives off a lot of mystical witchy vibes, as well. What I really like about this band is that they have elements that remind me of other bands, but they’re still very much unique. I also really like the variety on the album. It’s dark and heavy, there’s the one slow ballad, and there’s even a quite playful song “Shout Out Loud.” There isn’t a bad or boring song on it.

This band could hang with any of the big female-fronted bands tearing up international stages today, like JINJER, IN THIS MOMENT, INFECTED RAIN, BUTCHER BABIES, and others. And I would love to see them live. But for now, I’m off to check out the rest of their discography.

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 10
Production: 8