FantomLord17 (metalarchives) – fragments
Yes, I did previously say this as a melodic death metal album. Yet the artwork contradicts this. It says: “This is a Gothic Metal album”. It reminds me more of the seminal mid-nineties Paradise Lost or even The Gathering’s Mandylion than anything In Flames ever did. Their slow riffs and oppressing atmospheres, however, are nowhere to be found. The only other ingredients commonly associated to the gothic metal sound found here are male clean vocals in the album’s beautiful ballad and maybe piano. No violins, no female vocals, no goth-rock beats. If you heard 1999’s Chaotic Beauty with its female guest vocals and more prominent piano (and even its occasional black metal outbursts) you might be surprised at how stripped down this album sounds.
“So what does this album actually have?”, you may ask. Well, it may have much more things than I might have previously suggested. As a finnish melodic death metal record, it features electric guitars and harsh vocals permeated with keyboards with a keen accuracy for catchy melodies. Thee aren’t many guitar harmonies a la In Flames or Insomnium, and the riffs have more of a traditional metal vibe that makes the Accept cover featured as track 7 fit in so well, but the leads and solos that are featured are all excellent and tasteful, enough to satisfy those craving for skilled musicianship that’s actually in service of the songwriting.
rafazardly 