The Eternal Fall - Emptiness Vol 1 + 2

The Eternal Fall is a very strange band. I loved half the album and didn't like the other half at all. The great songs are light, punky trad goth, while the others petered off into mindless whining. I barely got through the first tracks on the album, "Beneath the Stars" and "You Are Always in My Mind." But "Always It's the Same" is a fantastic song. It's almost as if the Cruxshadows went trad goth and met the Cure halfway. It's actually one of my favorite songs right now, that's how awesome it is.

"Broken Dreams," "Empty Eyes,"  are some more phenomenal trad goth sounding songs of the album. The Eternal Fall has a really good sound, if they could just keep it going. The tracks that were good were REALLY good. But the tracks that weren't so good stuck out like Snooki at Wave Gotick Treffen. Minimalistic piano and synth paired with ghostly lamenting sounds good on one or two songs, but not on half the album. "Ich Denk ed Dich," and "The Pain," straddle both styles perfectly though, he's not wailing the whole time, he's singing, and moaning, but it's balanced with guitars and drumming that keep the song moving in the right direction.

I think that's the problem, the songs aren't balanced enough. By the end of the album I could tell which ones were going to be crap and which ones were going to be good, just by the pattern it was following. Albums shouldn't follow patterns, they should be a listening experience, full of twists and turns, surprises at every corner.

On the really good songs, the sound is phenomenal. Upbeat synth and drums with groaning guitars swirled in make for a very romantic goth, punchy sound. As I said before the ones that are good, are really really good, I just wish the whole album had been like that. Also, another thing worth noting, this album is supposed to have two dics, but I only got disc one, so I can't tell you how the other one sounds. I would listen to this band again, but I would listen to the whole album before buying it.


-- Gorgeous Nightmare

Nightchild - Dreammaster (single review)

When listening to Nightchild's new single, "Dreammaster" I liked the music right away, but the vocals didn't grab me right away. I'm very glad I kept listening, because by the chorus, I was dancing along! The chorus is broad, and blasting, and I loved every note of it and the rest of the song! And when I started the song all over, I loved the begining too!

"Dreammaster" is ghostly goth, but still has a technoey base that keeps it moving, not letting it lay back. I loved the track because it combines haunting organ playing with industrial keyboards, Clash-like vocals,  driving bass, and drum machine.

There is great crossover appeal with this band, from horror punks, to some cyber-goths, and still be able to catch some old-school goths as well. It's not harsh like a lot of oontz-oontz style EBM, it takes slightly softer beats and pairs them stunningly with sorrowful vocals.

Nightchild simply are not comparable to any other DarkWave, or EBM band out there today, or from the past. It's a very beautiful listening experience. I found myself not able to sit still while listening to "Dreammaster," and had to get up and dance around the room.

I was afraid this would be yet another monotonous droning vocals with recycled guitar riffs, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The other two tracks I recieved with "Dreammaster", "We Are Freaks", and the "Dreammaster (EGOamp Remix)" further impressed me.

Now, I haven't heard any other songs by Nightchild, but just from those two songs (I'm not counting the remix) I would describe Nightchild's sound as swirling vocals mixed with pleasant guitars, and dark bouncing beats. I definitely will be looking for more from this band in the future.

Link to the band's BandCamp page to listen to Dreammaster by Nightchild:


--Gorgeous Nightmare

Shadowgarden – Ashen

I usually find gothic rock a mixed bag of goodies. On the negative, the music can be sappy and overly glorifying in its depression. On the positive, it can be sappy and overly glorifying in its depression. Basically, what I’ve found is that when gothic rock is done good, it can be a thrilling ride into tragic romance and deep brooding desire for love, and that’s what I’m getting with Shadowgarden’s Napalm Records release, Ashen. For the most part, the music is upbeat, driving, and can flat out rock. There are some of the quieter, more moody moments mixed into the album, and they work to perfection as well. Let’s put it this way, when I listen to Ashen, I don’t feel the need to light candles, kill the lights, drink wine and stare out a picture window at the falling rain. I want to take said glass of wine, throw it fiercely at the wall, and destroy my furnishings!

Ashen is layered with great dynamics and haunting melodies, and the vocals of Johan Ericson are powerful, yet you can hear a certain amount of vulnerability to them. The guitars have a nice crunching tone to them, but they’re not overbearing and oppressive. There’s an almost accessible quality to the production of this album and the songs could very easily find their way on your more alt oriented rock stations. I hear a lot of Paradise Lost in this, but not the discordant elements of P.L., more like the heavy melodic moments . . . basically everything that I’ve ever loved about Paradise Lost. There’s another sound weaving its way through this music, but I can’t put my finger on it . . . but when I do, whoa-boy! Don’t think for a second that I won’t tell you who it is!

Ashen opens subtly with “Shadowplay” and a beautifully strummed acoustic guitar, and then the up tempo, dense wall of distorted guitars explode in a shimmering display of melodic excitement. The song ebbs and flows between soft, ambient passages to huge choruses filled with the kind of melodies that would have an arena full of happy-we’re-sad fans singing their asses off. I particularly like the dynamics that these guys show n the song writing and production of this song. They’ve created an excellent mood with the music and they keep the song moving forward, rocking heavy when they need to and creating elements of serenity to break up the bombast. The more I listen to this, the more I marvel at the intricate elements mixed into the various sounds. Shadowgarden do an excellent job at song-craft and I’m compelled to give this song yet another spin due to the interesting bits of ear candy mixed throughout.

You can’t have good goth-rock without the inclusion of a female voice and Shadowgarden do just that on “With Love and a Bullet.” Though it may seem cliché to have the female voice worked into music of this particular genre, it also seems naked without it, and in truth, “With Love and a Bullet” is enhanced by this element. Lisa Johansson voice is amazing! So elegant and sensual, so sorrowful and hurt, so vibrant and filled with emotion, Johansson works her voice to perfection as the music shifts from explosively distorted bursts of guitar, drum, and bass to synth-driven, quieter passages. And once the song hits the chorus, feel the heart strings get pulled as she separates her voice from the harmonies and essentially carries the song to the stratosphere and beyond. Again, this track is exquisitely crafted . . . listen to all of the fascinating pieces of aural sweetener dancing around the mix on this one . . . little vocal add-on’s, textural guitar pieces hidden behind the distorted bass rumblings, volume swells of keyboards making the song sound even bigger than it is. You can’t listen to this one just once, there’s just way too much going on that requires your attention!

“Murky Waters” is another haunting gem, incorporating big key strikes on the synths over the droning walls of guitars. The chaotic elements of sound suddenly dissolve to reveal Ericson’s beautiful and sultry voice crooning about personal isolation and inner torment. Accented with those huge bursts of sound that we’ve come to expect, the vocal performance on this song is no less than magnificent. Whether he’s singing over barren soundscapes powered by keyboards and rhythm or over heavy and imposing guitar riffs, the voice retains a level of elegance and composure. Kind of like the musical equivalent of falling in a pile of shit and coming out smelling like a rose, Ericson’s voice has a shine to it no matter how dark its surroundings.

“Slowmotion Apocalypse” shows Shadowgarden wrinkling the fabric of the sonic tapestry. With the last track on the album, the band suddenly throws the mid-tempo or upbeat romantic drama to the side of the road and slow the tempo way down, akin to being so worn and tired by the weight of their guilty burdens, the music crawls through the gloom, never out of it. This song shows a heavier side to the band, even when the song breaks down to its ambient core and acoustic arpeggios, the song is a slug . . . and I mean that in the most positive way. They even utilize a little death growl in the vocal performance that, for me, enhances the dreadful mood and texture of the song. Searing guitar leads blaze from the din, acting a brief glimmer of hope in the darkened mire of depression. Brilliant song . . . fucking brilliant song!

Alright . . . never heard of these guys before and it turns out that this is their debut album, though Ericson is no stranger to the genre. Apparently this guy fronts or is an important cog to a band called Draconian, who share the mindset of bands like Sentenced (Racer just got a boner). For me, that matters not. What matters to me is that Ashen is a top to bottom emotional mover and ear pleaser.  Think what liked the most about it was just as I was beginning to think I knew where they were going they changed things up by tossing in a curveball at the very end to make me question everything that I’d previously heard and made me want to go back to try and rediscover something that I must have missed. Also, the songwriting and production aspects are out of this world, making me want to continue spinning this one because it feels so fucking good! Hat’s off, gents . . . can’t wait to see where you go with the next one!  -  Pope

buy here: Ashen
mp3: Ashen

www.myspace.com/shadowgardenmusic

www.napalmrecords.com

 

Lacrimas Profundere - The Grandiose Nowhere

There was some time back that I was vastly opposed to anything that wasn’t traditional metal, wasn’t full on heavy for the sake of pummeling the listener into submission, music that wasn’t packed so tightly into a box of walls that I created to the point that the music couldn’t breathe or grow. How totally tragic is it to keep something from growing? Spend a season planting seeds and nurturing them into tiny green sprouts emerging from the damp soil, reaching for the warming rays of the sun. Thankfully, those days of inhibiting the natural order of things are well behind me and I can now accept, appreciate, and most importantly, love all forms of music. With all of that being said, the mid-80’s Pope would have been less than pleased with a band like Lacrimas Profundere and the sounds that they’ve delivered on The Grandiose Nowhere. The music would have been too ambient, too melodic, too goth-y, too artsy. In truth, it would have been too good for me to like. Eh, we all get older and hopefully a little wiser.

While Lacrimas Profundere has all of those wonderfully melodic textures dancing around their sound, they utilize the heavy elements to add strength and body to the music. The ambient portions feel more menacing, the melodies more dramatic, the gothic tones darker, and the artistic air more vibrant and lush. In listening to this album, I can’t help but hear flavors of so many past artists, but not one in particular. I hear a bit of the darkened tones of a band like Paradise Lost, especially with the heavily distorted guitars, but then I hear someone like Peter Murphy making spastic love to the mic. I hear elements of bands like the Cure . . . or Type O-Negative . . . or Moonspell . . . or Lacuna Coil . . . ach! Trying to pinpoint this band’s sound is like catching a dream upon a sudden and violent awakening. Suffice it to say, these guys sound good and, with their addictive melodies, have that sound that makes me want to listen over and over again despite those fleeting moments of melodrama.

Where the album opener, “Be Mine In Tears,” initially got my attention with its heavy tones and upbeat drive, it was the second track that drew me deeper into the thralls of this albums power. “The Letter” is a brilliantly composed tune filled with an emotive vocal performance and the excellent execution of heavy metal power and melodic sentimentality. I love the way these guys have the various layers of keyboards and synths dancing around each other, kind of like some manic and chaotic waltz. Then, they fade away and are replaced for a brief time by a dense wall of distorted guitars and those sexy smoldering vocals. The contrast between the verses and choruses are dramatic, with the chorus melody as opiate addictive as they get. Go ahead . . . succumb to the addictive, narcotic qualities of the Lacrimas Profundere melodies. Sure, you’ll be humming them through the course of your day, but look at the positives . . . no liver disease, no lung disease, no kidney disease, in fact, this stuff will put a pep in your step and probably make you a healthier individual!

The underlying theme throughout The Grandiose Nowhere is the dark sexiness the percolates from the sultry sounds of the music. I’ve never heard the word ‘kiss’ used so frequently and still sound so sexy, so romantic, so dark and shocking. Check out the songs “Lips” and “Her Occasion of Sin,” and fall in love all over again. Not the kind of puppy dog and bright flowers love, but the love that’s laced with pain, longing for a lovers touch, the indescribable torture of being apart from the one you want more than any other. The words probably wouldn’t mean as much or be as powerful if it weren’t for the conveyance of emotion from the vocalist. That darkened, whiskey soaked drawl adds so much nuance to the subject matter, so much emotion that we, as listeners, buy into the tales of tormented souls.

“Not For Love” follows the darkened pattern of the songs before it. Heavy verses sung from an understated position, yet still filled with nuance, and then as the song opens at the chorus and explodes with melody, we become hooked. This particular song has that something special . . . maybe it’s the bounce of the chorus, maybe it’s the dense riffage of the guitars, maybe it’s the haunting melodies, maybe it’s all of these things wrapped up into one composition. “The Fear of Being Alone” immediately follows with a new wrinkle added to the mix of instruments. Piano keys chillingly plink away at the opening melody and what sounds like a female voice joins the dominant male lead to harmonize to near perfection . . . maybe not in pitch or whatever, but purely in emotion. The combination of pianos and female vocals give the song the much needed element to separate it from the rest of the songs on the album. Beautiful and haunting, this is the song that I’ve found myself looking forward to as I spin The Grandiose Nowhere.

Finally, “No Matter Where You Shoot Me Down” wraps up the album and, in a lot of ways, shows the band writing and performing at their very finest. The guitars have an odd distortion to them, sounding a bit little some bastardized country western piece, all played over a throbbing rhythm. Again, the vocals steal the spotlight, painting a sepia toned picture of personal torment with the conveyance of the lyrics. They build and build with tension, and then just as one might expect the song to burst into a frenzied barrage of musical notes and complex tones, the song just seems to slip away . . . maybe it’s a little anti-climactic, but in actuality, it’s a pretty damned accurate reflection of life. When we up and die, odds are, it won’t be in a ball of flame as we rush head long into conflict. Most of us will probably die alone, in our sleep, of a broken heart . . . very few of us will actually die as the heroes that we see in movies or in our heads.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I put this album on, but I certainly wasn’t expecting that I would immediately set finger to keyboard to begin composing my thoughts on this twelve songs collection of darkened rock tunes. Lacrimas Profundere will interest most of those music folk who have a serious dislike for the sun, but should also be a compelling listen for the more mainstream music fan. These guys work the melodies to perfection . . . they make them memorable, but retain a bit of a dangerous edge to them. There’s a lot of looking out over rain swept plains from the confines of a candlelit room in this music, but oddly enough, it’s not terribly depressing. On the contrary, the music is more upbeat and danceable than one might think based on the lyrical content. The Grandiose Nowhere has some of those crossover qualities in that it’s accessibly melodic while remaining dark and metallic, something that we’re starting to see more and more of as time goes on. And, for me, that’s a good thing. I like it when I can listen to a piece of music that will satisfy my listening needs no matter what kind of mood I’m in.  -  Pope JTE

www.myspace.com/lacrimasprofundere

www.lacrimas.com