L'Âme Immortelle : "Ungelebte Leben"

 

This Austrian dark-wave duo has been honing their craft for some time. The interplay of female vocals with the male vocals creates a beauty and the beast dynamic. Their new album opens with a song that serves as a fair introduction to who they are. The baritone grit on the male side of this equation is not unlike the kind of vocal style Rammstein employs, so comparisons are somewhat warranted at times. "War of Silence" shows the band leaning into a more dancefloor-oriented groove, and finds Thomas Rainer using more nuance and flexing his emotive croon. Sonja takes the reins of "Regret" which is almost a Nightwish-like ballad, though rather than symphonic metal it works off a lush electronic backdrop, though is much more poppy. Until the bass line becomes prominent it almost gets too melodramatic. 

Keeping things more uptempo plays to their favor as the synth riff to the title track proves. The first song that I think would fit the most seamlessly into the rotation of any of the Goth nights I attended last year. It also works well with their vocal interplay. The melodies are given more space to form hooks. "Push" is another ballad that goes a little too far into flowery territory for my personal tastes. The whole symphonic thing feels like it's too contrived for my tastes, and Dimmu Borgir is the only band that I am into that uses the symphonic elements. Once again this is a matter of my personal tastes, and this project is skilled at doing what they do, when things steer in this direction it's just not my thing. 

There is more thump to "Nie genug" which feels like they are moving in a more effective direction. They stay in this more EBM direction with poppier slant for a while. It's catchy enough and stays true to the genre, but perhaps at the risk of losing their individualism. It borders on  90s Euro house music. "Own Way' tries a little too hard and ends up feeling sort of awkward in execution. "Weit fort" is too happy for my personal tastes, but works . The album ends with a more grandiose melodrama with 'Widerhall". It reminds me of something that could have been on Kate Bush's 2011 album, as it is hushed almost to the point of being trip-hop. Overall I appreciate the effort they put into this album, they have been at it for sometimes, so are clearly executing their vision well. Some songs resonated with me more than others, but will give this album an 8.5, for people who are into this sort of thing. I prefer it darker and with more bite, but can see when something is well done for what it is. 

pst4