What I like and dislike about the music business in equal measures is that every day in this industry is like a school day. If you put the egos and dramas aside, you can find absolute treasures and learn something interesting at any given moment. At times I feel like Lara Croft – discovering soundscapes old and new that I haven’t known before.
“Nemesis” single cover
If you asked me last week about Polish progressive metal/art rock six-piece Alhena, I would tell you absolutely nothing. Despite being active since 2010, the band somehow did not appear on my radar. Seven days later, here I am reviewing Alhena’s new single “Nemesis” and pondering to myself how I could miss such a fantastic act. I love all things art rock. I`m a diehard fan of Closterkeller, Artrosis or Moonlight since my high school days and naturally gravitate towards this genre – especially when a rock group include front woman of such magnitude as Dominika Kapuśniak (vox, viola). I don’t know, perhaps my music sonars require a bit of maintenance. Or maybe I shall blame it on prolonged exposure to the `lads bands`, which to be fair is always harmful to one’s health.
Named after an evolving star (and the third brightest object) in the Gemini constellation, Alhena released one studio album “Breaking the Silence… by Scream” in 2019 and one self-titled EP in 2011. Over the years the band underwent multiple lineup changes (including five different vocalists) and currently comprises of Tomasz Bogulski (guitar), Bartosz Kazimierski (guitar), Piotr Grugel (guitar), Piotr Pryka (keyboards), Maciej Tonder (bass) and Dominika on vocal duties.
Alhena photographed by Jarek Chłąd
Originally, “Nemesis” was an instrumental track (I may be mistaken here about its release in this form) that can easily stand proudly as a good example of what is known as technical progressive metal. Before you roll your eyes at the term – it is a genuine genre, where focus of composition is not on the originality or innovative ideas but on the skills and experimentation. Think Mike Portnoy`s Liquid Tension Experiment or Blotted Science. Give “Nemesis” a few spins and you will quickly discover that all members of the band are classically trained and very good at what they are doing. It is not unusual for Polish metal musicians to study jazz and opera and have university degrees in music composition (actually, it is the norm) and I would not be surprised if members of Ahlena were any different. If you are into that kind of analysis – there are lovely loops and bridges overlapping (think of it as keyboards and guitars having a `conversation` and responding to one another) here to create a sense of structure and the dramatic viola solo to bring emotional muscles to the sturdy bones of the composition. If what I have written doesn’t make sense to you, don’t worry. As I said not everyone is into vivisecting songs but this writer spent enough time in a choir not to take delight in the technical side of things.
“Nemesis” in a new version was recorded this year with added contribution from singer Dominika Kapuśniak. Again, not to sound dull but if I was to guess her voice is either a lyrical soprano or mezzo soprano and she had at least intermediate level of education at a music school. It brings warmth and a kind of melancholy to the song. Incredible vocals aside, Dominika is equally skilled when it comes to playing viola. I had to look her up a bit and found out that she contributed music to theatre and stage plays and is a sought-after soloist. This is again something I truly love about Polish metal bands. They do not treat their vocalists like stage props where a lone female will come out dressed in frilly clothes and sing on a high octave, then be whisked off the stage and never be heard from again. Dominika is not just there to “female front” a band, she is part of it. And she contributes to the song writing process on par with her colleagues.
Alhena`s biggest strength is that they can appeal to a wide range of music listeners. They could easily fill big arenas and appear on commercial radio stations, while not losing their credibility and support from metal circles. But to reach new highs Alhena would require to be signed to a major label and have their support to push their ideas forward.
Just take a look at the video to “Nemesis” to realize the potential this band really has. They built a mysterious world, nearly looking like taken out of The Witcher, where ancient monuments and ruins shelter a fire worshipping tribe. If this would be replicated on stage Alhena would blow Rammstein out of the water.
All what it takes to lift bands like Alhena to the top is some investment and interest from the music industry. Simple as that.
You can follow the band on socials:
https://alhenaband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AlhenaPL
https://www.instagram.com/alhenaband/
https://twitter.com/AlhenaBand
https://www.tiktok.com/@alhenaband
https://www.youtube.com/AlhenaBand
https://soundcloud.com/AlhenaPL
https://alhena.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1uLBjSqGy11ryV1R5aAZ63
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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