So far this Gothtober I have managed to place more emphasis on bands playing actual instruments rather than a bunch of button-pushing industrial or darkwave bands. This band features the singer from Dark Tranquility, who has used a clean singing voice as an accent here and there, but normally growls his way through the songs, Here is just singing, and does a better job of it than expected. Normally stays in a baritone, but can go up into a higher rock n roll voice more like Ville Vallo's mid-range. These guys are veterans from the Scandinavian metal scene so it features members of bands like Dimmu Borgir, Amorphis, Sentenced, and Insomnium, all metal bands that are goth adjacent.
It never punches like those bands with the riff to the second song having more in common with "Dr Feelgood". The feeling of 80s cock rock is an underlying theme. Everything is executed in a very professional manner since these guys are all old pros, but it's very middle-of-the-road sonically to the point that "Violent Storm' does not really feel all that dark. The H.I.M comparisons, could begin to dominate the direction of this album is heading in by the time it gets to "Behind the Lie". Granted they finally throw in some harder punches and I am impressed that Stanne can actually sing. Though he might have been better off applying a little more edge, not committing to a full growl, but just belting this out with more balls.
Instead, they move in the opposite direction and take on a more flowery Nightwish-like drama for "When Silence Speaks". The darkest night continues further down the middle road. There are elements of the 80s power ballad formula in place on "Never Look Back' which the arena rocking melodies in the background have to be aware of. I imagine these guys all grew up in the late '70s or '80s and know what was dominating the radio at the time, so this might just be a part of their musical DNA. Though even the caliber of bands they play with I expected less non-descript songwriting. It's like if H.I.M. came out in the 80s. The big arena rock choruses are too happy for me. They head in a little more of a "Love You to Death" direction but much less depressive. I was going to give this an 8, as it sounds good and is well executed, but for something that is supposed to be dark, it's not that dark, If you are a metal band who decides to make a goth album I am your target audience and if it is not connecting with me something is wrong, so I will give it a 7.5, meaning there is an audience for this it's not me, but I respect what they are trying to do here. Out October 11th on Century Media.
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