Cemetery of Scream
Melancholy (CD) 1995 Croon Records
This is the East-european answer to 'Always', the classic album from The Gathering. Heavy doom metal with a lot of orchestral synths, a deep grunt with some spoken parts, some clean vocals and a threatening, deeply melancholic atmosphere. The keyboards are in front of the mix, the guitars serve to introduce heaviness and threat into the music. Although the lyrics contain a lot of grammatical mistakes, they are also striking and different than most doom albums. Also the fuzzy, melancholic album cover and the length of this work, make it worth to check out. Coming from Poland, Cemetery of Scream didn't get the response they deserved, although this album is an atmospheric doom masterpiece.	1. Prologue 2. Melancholy 3. Dolor ante lucem 4. Gods of steel 5. And just the birds... 6. Apocalyptic visions (part II) 7. Anxiety 8. Landscape of sadness 9. Lost flowers 10. Violet fields of extinction 11. Epilogue 12. The shadow of notre dame cathedral Approx. 70 minutes
Reviewed by: Kostas Panagiotou
Deeppression (CD) 1997 Serenades
I am not familiar with this Polish act first album 'Melancholy' but judging from Kostas his words, I assume that it is a lot better than this one. 'Deepression' with a double "ee" (I guess it is a clever wordplay mixing "deep" and "depression" but it looks more like a misprint, so not that clever after all), is one of the most uninspired works I have heard in some time. Musically, this band is not bad. They mix doom-metal and gothic-metal quite adequately but fail to evoke any feelings in me. The problem is that they just mixed in too many styles: grunts, clean vocals, spoken word, violins and female vocals all pass by on this album. One moment they remind me of My Dying Bride, the other of Theatre of Tragedy and the next of Moonspell. Also I am anything but impressed with the clean vocals. Please, if you can't sing then stick to grunting! I can't help but get the feeling the band tried to use as many "popular" ideas from the gothic/doom genre as they could find and put them into one album, causing the music to be overcrowded, unfocused and devoid of any real emotion. What a shame.	1. Whisper / touch 2. Breeze 3. Episode man 4. Ironic 5. Walkin' on air 6. Reveal the rainbow 7. Cruel 8. Float to escape Approx. 48 minutes
Reviewed by: Aldo Quispel
Prelude To A Sentimental Journey (CD) 2000 Hammer Muzik
'Prelude to a Sentimental Journey'...what a fitting title for this work! The band have made with this album a major step forward from their earlier releases, producing what is indisputably their best work thus far. The album consists of 11 sublime, atmospheric doom death hymns with a distinguishing Eastern European touch. Think of bands like Dissolving of Prodigy, Silent Stream of Godless Elegy and early Lacrimas Profundere and you might get an idea of the typical vibe of this combo. Eastern and ethnic influences are assimilated with ease, as well as subtle choirs, female vocals and elegant keyboard work. However, the emphasis remains clearly on metal riffing and wonderfully accessible mid-paced rhythms, which make of 'Prelude...' an atmospheric doom death metal album in the proper sense of the word. Admittedly, there are some corny spoken parts courtesy of vocalist Marcin Kotas (whose grunt and wailing are otherwise excellent), the highlight being the hilarious dialogue between the Master and the Chinese girl in the last track 'When the sun's born red'. Some lyrics might also raise a few eyebrows ("One day I saw a fear/in the eyes of the clown/dancing in the middle of my dream/selling prescribed grief"). But no one could deny the classy musicianship and well-crafted, catchy compositions of this Polish combo. And if anything, they prove that their passion and enthusiasm are undoubtedly genuine.	1. Time is shadow 2. Haila 3. In the Cemetery Garden 4. The Ray of Cry 5. Overcall 6. The chess at the foot of the mountain 7. Cult 8. A Game of Chess 9. Colder than Ever 10. The Hourglass 11. Towards to the final consciousness 12. Bridge to a Desert 13. Fall 14. When the Sun's Born Red Approx. 55 minutes
Reviewed by: Kostas Panagiotou
The Event Horizon (CD) 2006 Metal Mind Productions
The sentimental journey has ended, and Poland's Cemetery of Scream find themselves settled into their new musical roles: The gothic equivalent of ABBA. Genuine emotion has been gutted, replaced with cookie-cutter Eastern riffing, ridiculous Nu-Metalesque vocal stylings, and melodies fit for the average listener of the airwaves. 'The Event Horizon' is the sound of integrity gasping for breath, nearing a merciful death. Once described as "Atmospheric Doom Metal", Cemetery of Scream can no longer lay claim to such a title - in some instances, moments on 'The Event Horizon cannot even be described as Metal. I'd best describe this newer genesis of sound as "dark pop", as these songs have a level of accessibility that simply will not be found on any Doom, or even Metal release. The lyrical malady touched upon in previous reviews is still very much alive, and may inspire fits of laughter and mirth in the hearts of Doomsters everywhere. From Hinduism, Alchemy, and even to monasteries, there truly are some wayward phrases or topics certain to make even the blackest heart crack a smile. This of course may not be what the band ultimately intended. Due to 'The Event Horizon''s degree of accessibility, I cannot truly say I hate, or even dislike this album. Doom this is not, but this is a very catchy collection of music nonetheless. Cemetery Of Scream have fashioned themselves as merchants of safe, predictable music, which in today's society may have assured them the success they so obviously crave.	1. Prophet 2. Ganges 3. Komatrance 4. On The Border 5. Cold Obsession 6. Absinthe 7. The Secret Window 8. Brutal Ground 9. In His Room 10. Where Next Approx. 45 minutes
Reviewed by: Timothy Coleman