hey guys!
New review from BWBK!
LILITU -Memorial (self financed)
This album deserves to be heard, simply to validate the band's existence.
Formed in '95, as a female fronted, atmospheric goth/doom band, the Atlanta
area outfit has undergone stylistic and personnel changes since then. Today,
male voices are the rule, although guitarist H. Derek Bonner possesses quite
an arsenal: whispers, hoarse screams and black metal intensity. Lilitu are
inspired by Scandinavian luminaries like Opeth and Katatonia, particularly
the wild changes in dynamics, from somber, acoustic accompaniment spoken
words to maniacal shrieks. When the tempo picks up, as on 'Unhallowed Be Thy
Shame,' the best days of Paradise Lost are recalled. Most of the seven cuts
are lengthy, apart from the tender, acoustic 'Autumn Leaves' and the theater
of the mind finale, 'Dead Things I've Tried To Hide', comprised solely of a
child's music box. How an act this talented remains unnoticed, by domestic or
foreign labels, is beyond me. Memorial is an elaborately constructed package,
aurally and visually. Several indie companies should be ashamed at what they
release, after laying eyes on this offering.
Mark Gromen 8.5 BWBK
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