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Lake of Tears
Headstones
(Black Mark - 1995)
Take a healthy dose of Paradise Lost from the Icon era, add plenty of Tiamat and mix it with a touch of commercial hard rock and you've basically got this album. This is a gothic metal album with soft touches, the guitar riffing usually heavy and slow. Keyboards are used in the background at times for atmosphere, and some acoustic guitars help the sound often. The vocals are mostly a throaty yell with a delivery that is scarily similar to Holmes from Paradise Lost (strong Swedish accent though). They are not as powerful though and often change to a higher clean vocal or use an annoying delivery that ruins the effect. Overall the musicianship on the album is good but nothing special. The problem is with the commercial tinges that keep creeping into the music. The song will build up one minute to a good heavy groove then suddenly get flooded with cheesy elements or boring arrangements. The last track stands out with its epic sound and 13 minutes. Some good moments but not interesting or good enough to overcome its disadvantages.
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