Flowing Tears - Serpentine
Century Media Records - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Century Media Records web site.
Ah, good old Century Media. You can almost always rely on them to bring us quality albums. They're one of the few labels that have rarely sent out a disappointing CD for me to review, and this album is no different.
Imagine a slightly doomier version of goth-metallers Lacuna Coil, and you've pretty much got Flowing Tears pegged. Haunting keyboard melodies drift around brooding but heavy-as-lead riffs, while Stefanie Duchene provides the morosely melodic vocals (actually sounding like a slightly more butch Cristina Scabbia, but going by the promo photos, certainly not butch-looking).
There's enough variation in the tracks to keep the more energetic rockers happy - 'Starfish Ride' is your typical, down-tempo moan-along (but in a good way), while third track 'Serpentine' brings the pace up somewhat with a more upbeat melodic theme, more aggressive riffs and a perfectly-placed quiet, mellow section in the middle which very gradually builds back up into the heavier section.
The production of the album is faultless - every aspect and nuance of the music is perfect in it's clarity, which is useful because the keyboard melodies and basslines really add to the mood of the songs, rather than just 'being there'. The keyboards are in fact really skillfully used, not intrusive like in other bands but more laid-back, supporting the melodies, adding ambience.
All in all, if you can put up with a more downbeat album than your average death metal record and don't have a strong aversion to melodic singing, keyboards and goth metal in general, then this is an album well worth picking up.
8/10
Century Media Records - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Century Media Records web site.
Ah, good old Century Media. You can almost always rely on them to bring us quality albums. They're one of the few labels that have rarely sent out a disappointing CD for me to review, and this album is no different.
Imagine a slightly doomier version of goth-metallers Lacuna Coil, and you've pretty much got Flowing Tears pegged. Haunting keyboard melodies drift around brooding but heavy-as-lead riffs, while Stefanie Duchene provides the morosely melodic vocals (actually sounding like a slightly more butch Cristina Scabbia, but going by the promo photos, certainly not butch-looking).
There's enough variation in the tracks to keep the more energetic rockers happy - 'Starfish Ride' is your typical, down-tempo moan-along (but in a good way), while third track 'Serpentine' brings the pace up somewhat with a more upbeat melodic theme, more aggressive riffs and a perfectly-placed quiet, mellow section in the middle which very gradually builds back up into the heavier section.
The production of the album is faultless - every aspect and nuance of the music is perfect in it's clarity, which is useful because the keyboard melodies and basslines really add to the mood of the songs, rather than just 'being there'. The keyboards are in fact really skillfully used, not intrusive like in other bands but more laid-back, supporting the melodies, adding ambience.
All in all, if you can put up with a more downbeat album than your average death metal record and don't have a strong aversion to melodic singing, keyboards and goth metal in general, then this is an album well worth picking up.
8/10
