In a crowded room of Metal bands, Los Angeles, California’s Edge of Paradise has certainly shaped its own identity. At this point, established well over a decade ago, the band has consistently progressed while standing out with the exceptional, unique vocals of Margarita Monet. Also, the band’s keyboardist, Monet, moved to the USA from Russia at around eleven years old and relocated to Los Angeles back in 2010. Crossing paths with Guitarist Dave Bates, the two immediately hit it off, and the rest is history.
Working together and developing a fresh sound, they have released five full-length albums, from 2011’s Mask to 2023’s Hologram. Jump forward to 2025, Monet, Lead Guitarist Dave Bates, Rhythm Guitarist David Ruiz, Drummer Jamie Moreno, and Bassist Kenny Lockwood return with a new collection of songs for their sixth studio album, Prophecy.
Set for release on March 7th through Napalm Records, it is a direct follow-up to the impressive Hologram. The prior album found Edge of Paradise picking up momentum while on tour with Lacuna Coil, Dragonforce, and Amarnathe back in 2023. Much-deserved exposure; now, the band is building upon what they did with Hologram, although perhaps with an even more saturated ambiance.
Consistent of ten songs, Prophecy is preceded by three very different songs: the more upbeat tempo “Rogue (Aim for the Kill),” the enchanting “Death Note,” and the dazzlingly dynamic “Prophecy Unbound.” Together, these only tell part of the story inside of Prophecy because it is an album deeply entrenched in countless melodic guitar riffs, dark textures, and thoughtful lyrical content.
Looking at the theme of Prophecy, the songs tackle the ideas of humanity being smothered by apathy and excessive technology as we all seem to be slipping into mind-numbing coma without souls. What some may say is an apocalyptic view of the future, Edge of Paradise approaches the topic in a way that awakes the senses, stimulates free thought, and inspires you to be more conscious. However, if you are already someone whose periphery vision sees what is looming ahead, the thoughtfulness of the words sung by Monet will impact the strings of your heart even more profoundly. Adding more drama to each of the song’s effects, it is how Monet presents them that will really draw you into the atmosphere of Prophecy.
A multilayered world surrounded with variation, some standouts include the dramatic “Sad Life of a Rose,” the must-listen “The Other Side of Fear,” and the simply heartbreaking “Hear Me. This is while songs such as “Martyr (Monster)” provide a jolt of energy, and “Relive Again” reminds you that the time each of us is given is short, so make the most of it.
Overall, Edge of Paradise has produced another extremely powerful set of songs with Prophecy. This album clearly travels a bit of a different path than Hologram, and there is a haunting quality to these tracks that you simply cannot shake. Somewhere between Gothic, Symphonic, and Industrial, all with Hard Rock leanings, Edge of Paradise proves that they are cut above the norm.
Beyond this, the intangibility of Margarita Monet’s singing cannot be understated. Simply put, she has a very different emotive style that goes beyond your typical Metal vocalist. With a dynamic range, there is still a certain primitive instinct in her delivery that catches your ear immediately. All of these reasons are why Cryptic Rock urges more to check out what Edge of Paradise is all about, giving Prophecy 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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