| The passage back to life (CD) | 1998 | Morbid Records |
I'm sad to say I was soon disappointed. Somewhere around track three, to be more precise, when I realized this is a 'Turn Loose the Swans' rip-off. The similarities are so obvious and so common that I lost any interest in this album whatsoever. From the clean and death vocal combination, to the slow passages in contrast to the fast parts, this album has 'Turn Loose the Swans' written all over it. Not to mention countless other similarities which for me proved to be the drop that spilled the cup.
As hard as I might have tried, I have failed to find anything original or even remotely interesting here. It has all been done before, and more than once.
1. Salva Me (intro)
2. The Passage Back To Life
3. Thorn Of The Dead Flower
4. Drowning In My Dreams
5. Lay Down Alone
6. White Chains
7. Tears
Approx. 48 minutes
| Desperate Existence (CD) | 1999 | Morbid Records |
Sometimes you get an album that already bores you after the first couple of spins, and this is, I'm afraid, one of those albums. Okay, the band did something slightly more original here, opting not to make a complete copy of a My Dying Bride album this time. However, they seem to have lost themselves somewhere around the point of trying to make the songs interesting.
I for one, was irritated by the female vocals, which are, simply put, annoying. 'Momentary Eclipse of Hope' is a perfect example, where the insane singing is even accompanied by some weird effects.
As it was the case on the debut, the production on this album is most certainly not topnotch. The guitars are pushed way too far back in the mix for this kind of music. The album, of course, opens and closes with an instrumental intro. The songs, ranging from three to well over nine minutes, consist of the exact type of music you've surely heard before; the harsh and clean female vocals, violins, etc. I truly wish to hear something more original from this band. In the meanwhile, 'Desperate Existence'? No, thanks!
1. A Wish
2. Never Again Alone In The Dark
3. Desperate Existence
4. Et Vidi Solem Evanere
5. Momentary Eclipse Of Hope
6. Searching For Artificial Happiness
7. Shadow Of Somebody's Else Being
8. Outro
Approx. 56 minutes
| The inheritance of sin and shame (CD) | 2000 | Morbid Records |
Sadness and romance, the well-known keywords for atmospheric Doom, are brought to us through the 8 songs that this album contains. 'Tin horns', the first track on this CD, is a song that represents the whole album; variations between the female vocals and grunts, heavy guitars and mellow parts, and of course lots of atmosphere. Where the female vocals on their previous releases were annoying, on this album they're quite good. She can't be compared to Kari (3rd and the Mortal) or Marriane (Left Hand Solution), but at least they don't annoy me!
This album contains some good songs like 'Your divinity', the sad 'Miles of worn out days' and the romantic 'Amber Star'. But, despite of these good songs, this album also contains some, in my view, very disappointing songs such as the instrumental, and even silly, 'Shepherd's song' and the boring 'And thus you poured like heaven wept'.
I remember the first times I heard this, I liked it. But now it has become boring. The songs are often too alike and therefor I skip most songs. Too bad, because I'm sure these artists are talented enough to produce something more attractive! Conclusion: Ashes you leave seem to float on a river of clones, which brings them closer to the sea of originality with every release.
1. Tin horns
2. Your divinity
3. Shepherd's song
4. Miles of worn-out days
5. When withered flowers begin to bloom
6. And thus you poured
7. The inheritance of sin and shame
8. Amber star
Approx. 46 minutes