In Solitude - Sister (2013)

It's a fairly common occurrence where a new band will come along, put out a few albums emulating a particular influence, style or 'scene', and then suddenly get struck with a storm of sporadic creativity that puts them a great distance from where they started. In Solitude's third full-length, Sister is a glaring example of such a game changer, a work that contains only a fraction of aesthetics that could be comparable to either of its predecessors, and even then that usually manifests in a little lead lick, or a vocal line that still captures a bit of essence of the legendary Danish bands that first inspired the Swedes' sound. For the majority of its running time, however, Sister has entered new ground, basically a fresh take on Gothic rock/metal that doesn't just sound like another doppelganger of Sisters of Mercy or The Cult, even if those do sound like they would have been among the influences that helped inform this transformation.

So damn different, and so brilliant, you could almost see this as an album that would foreshadow their fellow Swedes Tribulation and their own third album transformation. Sister mesmerizes instantly with its brooding, glistening acoustic intro "He Comes" and you will immediately be struck by the lower pitched gloom of the vocals. When the metal arrives in "Death Knows Where", you might actually get a little hint of a King Diamond-style guitar melody, but it just feels more shadowy and depressing to fall in line with that Gothic aesthetic, and here we get some awesome howling vocals which are at once frightening and as soothing as the grave. The riff structures still have a good share of metallic elements, like dour little melodies that play out along the chords, and the essence of occult heavy metal is still felt in the note choices, but there are also pieces like "A Buried Sun" which are like an edgy, airy, downcast rock and roll very similar to what Sólstafir transformed into with their own transformative 2009 stunner Köld. The difference there, however, is that feels more like an Icelandic roadhouse for Gothic cowboys, and this Sister is more like a black & white silent horror film...more Bauhaus...more vampiric.

Sister is by far my favorite In Solitude album, one so great that I felt a trace of emotional devastation when the band decided to call it quits, because I thought it sat so well in my collection with Climax by Beastmilk, which dropped in the same year, or the records the aforementioned Sólstafir was putting out. The evolution might have come as a shock to many, and I remember some bitching and moaning, but this is honestly so much more impressive than a band doing Mercyful Fate or King Diamond far less worthily than the genuine articles. And yet, some of that STILL creeps through, but relegated tastefully to some of the guitars. All of the songs here are my favorite songs from this band, like the amazing "Pallid Hands", "Lavender", "Horses in the Ground", or the creepy, crawling title cut, and this was one of the better albums the year it came out, and one I still spin often today, especially when that late Autumn chill starts creeping into my days. Not heavy on the surface, perhaps, but so heavy in its own way that it just drips sorrow and darkness  despite any overt need for chaos or destruction.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/insolitudeofficial

Lacrimas Profundere - Hope is Here (2016)

For their 11th full-length, Lacrimas Profundere seem to have emerged from the stagnancy of middle-of-the-road Gothic arena rock to produce a sound slightly more compelling, if not entirely vacating the safe zone in which they'd survived for many years. Rather than the predictable, driving guyliner chord progressions, I honestly had no idea what was coming around the bend at any point on this disc, not because it's wildly dissonant or unique, but because it just seems to open up and breathe, to let the band put its ideas to tape without forcing them into corners. Where prior records had offered a slight variation on the accessible Gothic metal common in the Euro countries like Germany and Finland, Hope is Here recalls a hybrid of modern Anathema and elegant British veterans The Mission, with a few flourishes of anything from prog rock percussion to edgy country/folk noir.

It works, and it works fairly well. While the band is still not writing the knockout choruses you'd really need to carry this style into a broad audience, the production is rich and vibrant, the tunes always possessing some interesting undercurrent, and despite how easy it might have been, you can still see a few glints of their heavier, more metallic, chugging roots shining through the emphasis on cleaner strings, pianos, scarce electronics, and subtle orchestration used as an ambient motif to backup the central rock fundamentals that hold up the tunes. Nothing is really off the table, with a track like "My Halo Ground" producing a Middle Eastern vibe through the instruments that steer it, or the title track which is very much a big acoustic/orchestra piece which really feels like you're that kid in antlers staring out over the horizon on the cover. The band knows when to lay into their big chords at precisely the right moment, and they tender those sequences with simple, added melodies. Rob Vitacca reminds me a lot of a mix between Wayne Hussey and Ville Vallo, limited in range but really expressing himself better here than on most of the Lacrimas records I've experienced. The beats are also pretty impressive, using interesting patterns to keep even, simpler, airier moments like the verse of "Aramis" a lot busier than you'd expect, and it pays off once the chorus arrives.

Hope is Here is more or less a modern, Gothic rock infusion of the Moody Blues, just right for those moments driving on an open road or lying under an expansive sky and seeking something that can encapsulate the experience with just the right, moderate level of pacing and depth. Production here is scintillating, thorough, and amazing, and goes a long way to creating compulsion for even the most vapid riffing they might add to it. Lacrimas Profundere have found a way to translate the emotions already present in much of their earlier material to something that is more refined and rewarding, and even if this puts them in a less traveled space where bands like Anathema have divided up their own followings, it takes a lot more guts and dedication than churning out yet another bland effort like Antiadore or Songs for the Last View...not that either of those was an expressly bad record, but they were too easily lost in a crowd of bands that focused in on a sound which was extremely hot for a few seasons and then sort of dispersed, still practiced but never really mastered by anyone who hasn't taken it into a heavier, dirtier Christian Death/Sisters of Mercy direction. This is a good album, and a good place to build from as we follow that balloon across the cloudscape.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (the past is consigned)

http://www.lacrimas.com/

Lacrimas Profundere - Antiadore (2013)

Lacrimas Profundere is a band which has more or less followed the trajectory of legends Paradise Lost, originating with a Gothic doom aesthetic and then gradually transforming into a far more accessible brand of man-mascara rock which mirrors the sounds that Finnish acts like H.I.M., Entwine and Charon made pretty popular in the earlier 21st century. That's not to say it can't be done well, for instance I really enjoy the band To/Die/For, who brought a lot more of an 80s pop flair to the style with some catchy keyboard lines in amongst the head banging. But there's certainly a trend that a lot of these bands end up with their backs against a wall, using the same familiar chord patterns repeatedly since bands like Sisters of Mercy or Type O Negative made them redundant, and I feel that these Germans, despite having an unquestionable level of class and professionalism, don't really stick their toes outside the safe zone enough to leave much of an impact...and they haven't in a long time.

Antiadore is their 10th full-length record, and it more or less employs the tropes and conventions we've come to expect from this sort of watered down Gothic metal which lacks most of the frills and genuine darkness of the genres which inspired it. Safe verse/chorus song structures, choruses that are not too high in pitch but go for a clear level of radio appeal, solid fashion sense, marginal use of electronics which can add some nuance to the predictable chord patterns. Once you've heard a track or two on a record like this, you're pretty much heard them all, the only variations are in the minor details like subtle shifts in tempo or particular melodies used to layer over the chords. Rob Vitacca has a seasoned, graceful voice, but there is little range, and for that reason a lot of his lines feel rather samey with not only their neighbors here, but the last half dozen or so discs the band has released. The drums and bass are well mixed and appropriate, but never stand out on their own, leaving the full emphasis on the riff passages and vocals, which unfortunately do not deliver much beyond the usual four chords. When the band goes 'heavier', it's simply safe groove metal patterns which are used to get the blood flowing temporarily until another of these maudlin, mediocre choruses...

Occasionally you'll hear a harsh vocal, but it sounds really out of place, overwrought in an attempt to channel genuine pain and emotion, where proper Goth rock or Goth metal needs no such gimmick. The lyrics and song titles are generally just cliches or cultivate imagery you've already seen in this niche a million times, and in truth there is next to nothing which separates the songs on a record like Antiadore from commerial, mass appeal rock music, except maybe a little more guyliner or the clubs and crowds that this might be played at or adhere to the genre. Here in the US, this style had very little impact beyond H.I.M. or Sentenced; even when Paradise Lost was nailing this sound with a catchier and slightly 'edgier' record like One Second it wasn't being talked about. It seems like by about 2013 this would feel out of date, or the band would adapt once more into something new, or a blend of their older/later styles for variety, but Antiadore is about as bland and insipid as you can get...I kept waiting for one song to really hook me in, but most of them were simply the sort that might have been memorable if I had heard them 'first', 25-30 years ago. It's far from a bad album, since the band is so slick and confident at playing it safe, but they need to throw a lot more curve balls, atonality or dissonance or eeriness or haunted atmosphere to do their meta-genre justice.

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

http://www.lacrimas.com/

Tiamat - The Scarred People (2012)

Johan Edlund and Tiamat have always startled me with their ability to hurdle their musical shortcomings and produce unexpectedly delightful records, and The Scarred People is one such diamond in the rough. For all intensive purposes, the Swedes are flawed characters who make the very most of what most would consider a limited skill-set, and constantly reinvent and reinvigorate themselves through strong songwriting, crafty and somberly beautiful lyrics rather than sheer technical prowess or further progression through complexity. Though I'm certain a portion of their fans abandoned them past Wildhoney, the point at which they really started to tinker their death/doom roots into a more psychedelic, atmospheric contraption, they've put out some damn fine albums since, including the brilliant and trippy 1997 opus A Deeper Kind of Slumber which I still consider their magnum opus, or the amusing Skeleton Skeletron with its sultry, blunt vocal quips and rather dramatic spin on Gothic rock, a more muscular Sisters of Mercy.

The three albums since that time have all had their moments, but I actually didn't develop the same level of personal connection beyond a handful of songs. Through The Scarred People, I've really found myself returning to that same sense of immersion I once felt from their 1992-1999 material, and as a result I'm loving the hell out of nearly every moment on this disc. To best describe it would be to take a tour of the band's past 20 years of recordings. You've got a few of the sodden, simply doom riffs circa Wildhoney sauteed in the psychedelic escapism of A Deeper Kind of Slumber, synthesized symphonics redolent of Clouds and the driving Gothic metal of Skeleton Skeletal, and that opaque, cynical sense of humor which was abundant on more recent efforts like Judas Christ. The album also presents an aesthetic merger with Edlund's Lucyfire side project, not only by incorporating one of the tunes meant for that act ("Thunder & Lightning"), but through the pervasive 'Gothic cowboy' sentiment that courses through the pacing and structure of the music here. Guns at dusk, not dawn. As an individual who has always appreciated the anthems of the black mascara sect nearly as much as his fascination with harsher metallic climes, I'm admittedly part of that choir Edlund is preaching to...

Yet I feel that The Scarred People has something for everyone. It's grand, emotive, powerful and in truth accessible enough for your girlfriend or the non-metal crew you run with (if applicable); and we'll try not to hold that against it! Edlund's baritone prescription brings to bear the very best ingredients of a Nick Cave, Andrew Eldritch, Peter Steele or Fernando Ribeiro with astonishing humility, and his lyrics remain poignant and perceptive despite the stark simplicity of their architecture. Think of it as clever cafe-pop poesy through which a deeper layer of shadows grasp out at the acute reader, but the subject matter isn't rocket science: love, hate, drugs, and mythic deconstructions rendered into a shot of verbal vodka. Wherever necessary, Edlund's verses are complemented with a deeper, cavernous chorus ("The Scarred People"), or a higher pitched harmonic backup ("Winter Dawn"), or even some samples in the brief snippets of "Before Another Wilbury Dies". The voice is perfectly grafted to the deceptive minimalism of the music, and unlike a lot of albums I get regularly for review (or purchase), it's fascinating to explore the lyrics alongside the riffs.

And of those riffs, there are very few misspent through the 50 minutes of disc. Nothing intensely original or complicated, but as I mentioned before, Tiamat simply don't need arpeggio noodling or rhythmic acrobatics to convey an effective mood. These are brazen, loud and highly atmospheric note choices which produce a potent, memorable girth. Whether it's the doomy "384 - Kteis" in which the downward, drudging chords are embellished with hellish funeral organs, pianos and random distortia; or the mammoth rocking grooves of "Winter Dawn" which wouldn't feel out of place on a Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam or Soundgarden record, Edlund and recent acquisition Roger Öjersson never give us anything more than what we need, and boldly, whether in an open chord pattern or a groove. But here again, The Scarred People is not without a few surprises. The wailing rock excess of the "Before Another Wilbury Dies" interlude isn't something I've heard before in the Swedes' canon. The intro sequence in "Love Terrorists" rekindles their Pink Floyd influence, and the cutesy and fragile melodic picking threaded through the verses of "Messinian Letter" would be a radio worthy hit in the hands of, say, Eric Clapton.

Perhaps the only guitar moment I wasn't taken in with is the "Tiznit" instrumental, a fusion of clear acoustic guitar and trilling bird songs, but it's nonetheless smooth as a river calm. Now, Tiamat's rock oriented music doesn't exactly lend itself to a lot of divergent experimentation through the rhythm section. With that said, I must laud Anders Iwers' bottom end strumming and Lars Skjöld's beats are about as fulfilling as the riffs will allow. The electronics coursing through the tunes are all very subtle and well spaced, usually to provide some added texture to a verse, and never overwhelming. There are moments of pure orchestrated bliss like the intro to "The Scarred People" which inaugurates the album, but they're succinct enough to flood the listener with their majesty and kindly cede to the guitars. In fact, they often grant the music a very 'upbeat' feel for Goth metal, and there are a number of tunes here like "Thunder & Lightning" or the title cut which seem like natural successors to the Sisters of Mercy's popular "Temple of Love" anthem. In other places, like "The Red of the Morning Sun" or "Radiant Star", Tiamat was channeling the slower material of  neighbors and countrymen Lake of Tears with these broad, doomy vistas of cold, dry twilight desert.

This is just one of those immediately timeless experiences which I find myself repeatedly returning to since picking it up a few months back, and it goes without saying that it will not disappoint those who have been digging on the band these last few decades sans interruption. I wouldn't qualify this as a full on Gothic metal effort, because in truth it's probably only around 40-50% metallic and the rest is heavy psychedelic rock, but this distinction is irrelevant to the overall quality, and the ratio of escape and enjoyment to moments of music breaks pretty even. It's one of the best albums I've heard all year, but not the sort which will bewilder you with dizzying fits of proficiency or originality. Warm in cold in equal rotation, sad and triumphant, addictive enough that I wish it had come with a Surgeon General's warning. I'd love to smoke this album on the corner while donning dark shades and leather, dreaming of caffeine, pale flesh and fishnet stockings.

"Fellow students. Over the past week there's been a lot of confusion, and so we've asked for this assembly to clarify the difference between goth kids and vampire kids. Let us make it abundantly clear: if you hate life, truly hate the sun and need to smoke and drink coffee, you are goth. If, however, you like dressing in black 'cause it's fun, enjoy putting sparkles on your cheeks and following the occult while avoiding things that are bad for your health, then you're most likely a d*uchebag vampire-wannabe-b*ner. Because anybody who thinks they are actually a vampire is freaking retarded." South Park (Season 12, Episode 14), 'The Ungroundable'

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10] ('Cause even God loves darkness)

http://www.facebook.com/tiamat

Entwine - Painstained (2009)

I've always held a soft spot for Finland's Entwine. Though the majority of their output has been rather mediocre gothic metal in the familiar vein of many other bands (H.I.M., Charon, later Sentenced, etc), they are one of the longest lasting bands in that scene, and each of their albums has offered at least 1-2 killer, memorable tracks. This makes Painstained somewhat of an anomaly, because almost every song here is good.

I should state that if you don't like driving, melodic, hooky gothic rock, stop reading here. "Soul Sacrifice" starts the album with a driving, fuzz guitar tone and some synths which recall earlier Amorphis, with catchy, almost folk-infused melodies. Mika's vocals are very friendly and melodic, we're talking radio fare here if this band could ever be given the chance (and let's be honest, we'd rather listen to Entwine than Nickelback or Evanescence any day). "The Strife" has a similar pace, rocking out with some great riffs, in particular I like the mute picking under the verse vocals. "Dying Moan" begins with alternating some acoustic ambient parts with some and a barrage of grooving chords. Not one of my favorites here though. "Beautifully Confined" returns to form with a nice groovy riff, and a tranquil verse. "Lost in My Denial" is a ballad with a rock build-up, it's not so bad if you're into that. "Greed of Mankind" reminds me of "Bitter Sweet" a little, one of my favorite Entwine tracks past. "Dead by Silence" is a pick me up, very catchy rocking number. The remainder of the tracks are decent.

Overall it's quite the solid effort, with an exception or two. Whether or not you enjoy it will really depend on how you feel about listening to accessible, melodic rock with a gothic background. As I mentioned earlier, this would not be out of place on your local rock radio station. If you enjoy the catchy Finnish melodic goth metal scene, then Entwine will fit your tastes nicely. They do an admirable job with the style, focusing solely on the memorable songwriting. The vocals are quite good, but if you generally associate this type of rock with tail chasing or 'emo' you will probably want to pass.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.entwine.org/

The Cure - 4:13 Dream (2008)

So a new Cure album arrived with little fanfare and I practically missed it, especially after that sub-par self-titled previous effort. Well, I am happy to say it would have been a mistake, because 4:13 Dream is the best material from this band in damned near 20 years, yeah, since Disintegration. It's not that many of the albums since haven't had their moments, they just haven't had nearly enough of them, not from a band that put out Japanese Whispers or Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.

This is a dense, atmospheric album which took me nearly by surprise, and not just in the first listen, but with each successive spin. "Underneath the Stars" is a dreamy, swirling song, you'll hardly notice there are more effects on Smith's vocals near the climax simply because they work so well. "Only One" is the classic pop-inflected Cure track ala "Just Like Heaven" or "Friday I'm in Love". "Reasons Why" is a somber and moody tune, wonderful and it sets up the hook and groove stage of "Freakshow" quite well, one of the best tracks here. Other highlights include THE REST OF THE FUCKING ALBUM, but in particular I loved the dirty blues of "Real Snow White", the melodic and sad climate of "Hungry Ghost", and the proto gothic funk of "Sleep When I'm Dead", which totally belongs on one of their old albums.

But in the end, I was not bored for a single moment on this album. It's the stuff of 80s dreaming, when 'goth' was scintillating catchy gothic rock. The Cure were the masters of this, and judging from what I hear on this disc, they may STILL be. Unbridled excellence in sound.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10]

http://www.thecure.com/