Anita:
This year, Armenia had a somewhat unconventional process for choosing their act. They decided to take an Armenian representative from each continent, with the most notable being former representative Inga (one half of Armenia’s 2009 representatives, Inga and Anush). The group will be singing the song Face the Shadow, or as it was formerly known, ‘Don’t Deny.’
The song itself is really quite mediocre, from my perspective. I think Armenia have definitely sent better options, including 2009 and 2014. I feel as if the nation wanted to get their message across, and that has taken away from having a strong, memorable melody. For a first time listener, I think the song comes across as a bit clumsy.
What the song does have going for it, well at least in the studio version, is a relatively strong group of singers. It’s hard to comment on whether this will translate live, as we’ve only heard the studio version, but if they gel together, especially towards the end of the song, it will come off spectacularly. I personally think that if this song was solely sung by Inga, or Inga and Anush, I would have rated it much more highly. I think Inga’s unique, folk-like voice brings it to another level, whereas the other singers are all quite generic.
I’m quite curious to see how the song will translate over to the stage performance. Unless it’s a train wreck on stage, I think it is likely to qualify. It has the theatrics to take it to the final, but past that, I don’t think it would make much impact in the final, considering the quality of some of the other songs.
I’m giving this song a 5/10, as I neither love it, nor do I hate it. It’s caught in my middle pack of songs, and I think that’s where it will end in May.
Guest Reviewer: Danny
This year, Armenia has called upon its diaspora all over the world and gathered 5 talented singers, each from a different continent, and joined them with native singer Inga to form a supergroup, Genealogy. The song was announced the same day the last member was publicly revealed, first named “Don’t Deny” and then with the new title “Face The Shadow”. Musically, “Face The Shadow” is a very diverse song, that ranges from a ballad to operatic rock, with some theatricality around. Each singer contributes with his/her unique voice, resulting in a smooth piece that takes a while to fully understand. The first time you listen to it, it’s like a chaotic composition, but once you sit and repeat it you can appreciate every element there, and the result can’t be more promising: it’s probably the strongest song Armenia has ever sent to Eurovision. My score: an absolute 10.