Anna KiaRa – Symphony of Rage

I apologise for being a little behind with this review, and I hope the artist will forgive me. It is an exceptional album by a great musician whom I really adore, and it is certainly worth reviewing. I am talking about Anna KiaRa‘s third release, Symphony of Rage.

Anna KiaRa is well known as one of two female vocalists in her previous band Imperial Age. Now, as a solo-artist, she invites listeners on a journey through rage, anger and fear — the darker side of our inner selves, if you will. So, let’s start with the first of nine English songs, followed by six Russian versions.

Symphony Of Rage

Blood of Heroes

This song has existed for quite a while, since Anna’s days in her former band, but surprisingly it was never released by them. This powerful anthem has been completely rearranged. An acoustic guitar opens the song, then Anna sings the first verses, after which a grand piano, guitars, drums and bass take over. ‘Blood of Heroes’ is the perfect symbiosis of power and symphonic metal.

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Excalibur

Have you ever heard of King Arthur and Camelot? Here is Anna’s fantastic short version of the whole story. A medieval melody and a magical flute dominate the song, taking Anna’s excellent vocals to new heights.

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She-Wolf

We become a dramatic werewolf, male wolf or female wolf on the hunt! What is this she-wolf chasing? Is it you? Or herself? Is it every trap you easily find yourself in? Find out for yourself while listening to this power ballad. I personally have my own theory about the chase — maybe it’s the same as yours? Let me know!

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Journey to the Stars

Since The Sweet, we have known that there is a ‘Stairway to the Stars’. Now, we know that you can only reach this heavenly stairway after a ‘Journey to the Stars’. In this case, it’s 3 minutes and 22 seconds long. That’s not too long, so you can reach it during this relatively slow, fine orchestral song.

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Symphony of Rage

In the middle of the English songs, we find the album’s title track, which represents rage and fear. It is full of energy and orchestral instruments. I found Anna’s words about this lovely, dramatic tune so fitting that I refuse to judge the song, because she has already said everything: “We all have these moments when we are disappointed. In this case, there are usually two ways: either continue being sad, or become angry and move on. I prefer the second option. Many times in my life, anger and rage have really helped me to carry on; sometimes it’s a kind of motivation, and I think it’s healthy — as long as you don’t feel it all the time, of course.” There is also a short growled part by Paul Maryashin, who played the guitars and bass on the album otherwise.

 

Icy Wasteland

A cold wind blows from east to west and north to south. An innocent piano plays its melody in the cold emptiness inside a human body. Doesn’t everyone have this feeling sometimes? Anna’s colourful vocals warm you up, giving you the strength to survive until better times come. The cleverly arranged guitar solo plays its part, like a little flame!

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Poetry of Despair

A powerful and intense guitar riff opens the song. It’s not speed metal, of course, but it’s one of the fastest songs on the album. I can already picture the crowd going wild to this track – come and enjoy it live at one of her future shows.

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Reborn

A piano plays a melancholy melody, carrying ‘Reborn’ to Anna’s crystal-clear vocals. It is a very personal song. The message is that when you fall down, you should get up again; when your path into the future is uncertain, you shouldn’t stop — just continue walking without any fear. Where there is darkness, light comes at the end, like the dawn of every new day.

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Flight of the Valkyries

Welcome to Norse mythology. The ancient gods reign supreme, and Odin and his Valkyries bring the album to a close with a powerful finale. They ride on thunder and lightning and wild horses, as if the good times had been forgotten.

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The following six songs are versions of ‘Blood of Heroes’, ‘Excalibur’, ‘She-Wolf’, ‘Symphony of Rage’, ‘Icy Wasteland’ and ‘Flight of the Valkyrie’ in Anna’s native language, Russian. They are basically the same songs with the same arrangement, but the different language gives them a very different vibe and a kind of new life. To my ears, they sound very authentic and I wish I could understand the lyrics without referring to the English versions.

To be said

I really enjoyed listening to the album; it’s refreshing and different from the usual mainstream symphonic and power metal you hear on the radio. Anna’s vocals and technical skills are outstanding and far above average. She is able to create storytelling soundscapes as few other musicians can.

Interesting side facts

Symphony of Rage was released on 5 June 2025.

‘Blood of Heroes’, ‘She-Wolf’ and ‘Flight of the Valkyrie’ were originally written in Russian; all the other songs were written in English. Anna wrote all the songs herself, including most of the guitar solos. She really is multi-talented and well trained in this case! Of course, other musicians helped her during the recording process.

Paul Maryashin on growls, bass and guitar

Mariya Yakoleva on flute

Daan Winkelhorst on drums

Tracks

Blood Of Heroes (english and russian version)

Excalibur (english and russian version) 

She-Wolf (english and russian version)

Journey To The Stars

Symphony Of Rage (english and russian version)

Icy Wasteland (english and russian version)

Poetry Of Despair

Reborn

Flight Of The Valkyrie (english and russian version)


KiaRa online https://www.annakiaraofficial.com/

Facebook  – https://www.facebook.com/annakiaraofficial/

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/annakiara

Please buy merch and physical music or downloads  from the bands official sources and don’t stream music for free because it steals your artists’ income


Pics property of KiaRa and part of the album’s booklet

9.6
Symphonic Masterpiece of Rage
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