Valcata is the brand new independent symphonic metal opera created by Oha Cade. The project features vocalists and musicians from all around the world, and tells a story through the music and lyrics.

The story behind the lyrics: The planet Valcata has suffered mass extinction from a heatwave that has escalated over the last century. Special teams have been deployed into the galaxies in search of salvation.

The ten track album forms the theatrical story telling through the lyrics and the music. The creative arrangement of each vocalist portraying a different character immerses the listener into the story. The instrumentation provides the atmospheric backdrop for the narrative and heightens the impact of the lyrics. Our Quest sets the scene for album; it introduces a number of characters and clearly establishes the direction of the plot. The tracks on this album contain a mixture of Utopian and Dystopian ideas which invoke alternate feelings of hope and despair. Horror Machine features some great vocal and string harmonies which really emphasise the drama of the track. The guitars and bass provide a heavy undertone that reflects the Dystopian themes of the lyrics. The guitars begin to gain a more prominent position in Horror Machine and this continues in Life and a Million. The use of heavier instrumental writing in these tracks effectively supports the darker lyrics and characters. Fast, intricate guitar melodies give the track a feeling of movement and urgency. 3-2-1 brings in further theatrics through the inclusion of a punchy synth motif. Orchestral stings throughout this track give the sound extra depth and emotion.

Beyond features some musical elements of note. The use of the piano melodies and strings in this track combine to create an uplifting feel. The growling guitars remain and maintain the darker aspect of the story, but the track overall achieves a different yet compelling sound. There is a great energy that runs through Beyond. The album in its entirety doesn’t let up on its energy – rather, it occurs in different variations through each track to complement the plot. Instrumental track Escalade packs a powerful punch really letting the orchestral strings run wild with fast dramatic melodies. It’s the perfect preface to the powerful theatrics of The Termination, the longest track on the album. The low operatic vocals that open the track produce a dynamic impact. The track sees a progression across the vocalists, moving to melody lines with in a higher pitch. This progression works really well whilst the instrumentation provides a powerful support. This track explores so many different themes and ideas but remains coherent. It is a wonderfully theatrical track. The final track, Valcata, draws the album to a close on a positive note. The choral vocals give a sense of unity and the uplifting lyrics portray a strong sense of hope.

The Valcata Project is a great album showcasing Oha Cade’s ability to convey an emotive story through clever instrumentation and arrangement. The wide variety of vocalists, each of whom have distinctive voices, combines such a range of textures and tones to produce an interesting sound. There are some fantastic musical ideas that run throughout the album and it’s clear that everything has been thoughtfully designed in this release.

Vocalists:
Zuberoa Aznárez (Diabulus in Musica, Tragul, Dryades)
Mary Zimmer (Santa Marta, ex-White Empress, ex-Luna Mortis, VoiceHacks creator)
Angel Wolf-Black (Vivaldi Metal Project, Alexandra Zerner, Bare Infinity)
Hadi Kiani (Gereh, The Frame, Farshid Arabi, Pod)
Kenneth Èlan (Acoustic Dreams)
Liel Bar-Z (Janissary: A Balkan Rock Opera)
Josh Munnell
Oha Cade

Musicians:
– Guitars
Steelianos (Enemy of Reality, Keado Mores)
– BASS
Babis Nikou (Jaded Star, ex-Visions of Atlantis)
– DRUMS
Jonas Schütz (Sacrosanct, Eraserhead, Diësis, Sapiency)
– STRINGS
Pablo Hopenhayn (Session Strings)

Production, Mixing and Mastering Engineer:
Ilias Gogakis (InPhaze, Anna Capone Pappas, Thulnar, Secret Wishes)

Follow Valcata:
Website: https://www.valcata.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ValcataProject
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valcata_official/