Bands change. Not all are fortunate to change into something that I might call the perfect blend of goth rock and metal. This band from Los Angeles who are not strangers to this blog have done just that. Now putting down her bass to focusing on singing Sera Timms, finds her voice even more colorful and energetic. While the Siouxsie influence is there is not just limited to that and has a reasonable sense of who she is. Lyrically this album is thematic as all the songs are about women both rel and fictional. The guitar tone is less metallic and more death rock for "the Rose". The more doomy direction they used to dwell in has evolved into something with more of a NWOBHM feel to it. The chorus however have a more sinewy energy to them rather than being big anthems.
"Heroines Descent" almost feels more like an interlude until the vocals come at the mid way point. "Swan Diver" finds them getting way more in your face metal with a killer riff for the verse. The drums are more brooding and powerful for the grungy "the Last Siren" . Emma Ruth Rundle lends her voice to "She Has a Secret". It's not a duet more of textured layering. The guitar that plays around the vocals works really well. Tara Connelly of Clay Rendering joins them to layer some more vocals. This time it doesn't work as well as the song before it. There is more of a narcotic drone to this song. I do like how it gets darker and more sonic rather than heavy in the metal sense.
Overall this album is a good direction for this band. I'll round it up to a 9 and see how it sits on me. The only challenge is some of the songs on the second half of the album that lay off of the more explosive energy kinda drone and I almost fell asleep to this album, but I am pretty tired.
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