Violet Eternal - Azure Stardust - CD

Japanese-Italian melodic metal band VIOLET ETERNAL return with their second full-length album, “Azure Stardust”, following their 2024 debut “Reload the Violet”. Built around a permanent five-piece lineup, the new record expands the band's musical range, combining the energy of European power metal with strong melodies, technical musicianship and progressive elements.

Founded in 2023 by Japanese guitarist and composer Jien Takahashi (Majustice) and Italian vocalist Ivan Giannini (Derdian, Vision Divine, The 7th Guild), VIOLET ETERNAL began as an international collaboration that gradually evolved into a complete band. Their development was reinforced by live performances in Japan, documented on the 2025 live album “Under the Violet Tokyo”.

For “Azure Stardust”, Takahashi and Giannini are joined by guitarist Andrea Cappellari (Nekomata), bassist Ollie Bernstein (Illusion Force, Fiverings) and drummer YAMATO (Neu, UCHUSENTAI). Together, they bring greater depth and cohesion to the band's sound with twin-guitar arrangements, prominent bass lines and a solid rhythm section supporting Giannini's expressive vocal performances.

The album moves between fast-paced compositions, heavier mid-tempo passages and emotionally driven melodic ballads. Energetic riffs, memorable vocal melodies and technical guitar work are complemented by acoustic elements and atmospheric arrangements, giving each song its own character while maintaining a consistent musical identity.

Among the album's highlights, “Azure Explosion” delivers one of the band's most intense performances, exceeding 197 BPM with rapid-fire riffs, harmonised guitars and Giannini's powerful high-register vocals. “Singularity” offers a contrasting approach, built around a heavier mid-tempo groove, seven-string guitars and a more atmospheric character.

The closing track, “RE Sky”, is an eight-and-a-half-minute composition featuring a guest keyboard performance by the late Vitalij Kuprij (Artension, Ring of Fire, Majustice). Originally connected to Takahashi's earlier Stormheart project, the song has been revisited for VIOLET ETERNAL, incorporating Kuprij's original keyboard recordings. His contribution adds a distinctive progressive and neoclassical dimension to the album.

Lyrically, “Azure Stardust” explores human relationships, memories, isolation, technology, identity and the search for meaning. Rather than following a continuous narrative, each song approaches these themes from its own perspective, combining personal reflections with broader questions about transformation and the relationship between humanity and technology.

Mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward at TrakShak Studios, the album benefits from a clear and powerful production that highlights the interplay between the instruments and the band's melodic songwriting.

Balancing speed, melody and technical precision with a varied approach to songwriting, “Azure Stardust” marks a new stage in VIOLET ETERNAL's development and offers a strong addition to the contemporary melodic and power metal landscape.