| The Album Of Labour (CD) | 2004 | Rivel Records |
The typical melodic, majestic, epic doom metal with some progressive touches of those Americans can once again be found in the new album. All the songs are full of melodic themes. Slower and mid tempos as well as characteristic riffs together with the melodic and emotional vocals of the singer, are the main features of this album. The keyboards are creating their own musical paintings inside the songs, carefully placed in the right parts to emphasize their dark melodies.
Veni Domine have their own sound: majestic and dark, cause that is simply the way they handle it. They manage to keep the interest of the listener at high levels whenever the melodic themes are changing and this fast great breaking is taking place. This album is the strongest evidence that the band has returned. Compositions full of passion, expressing strong emotions, majestic hymns and silent dirges: the music of this band is able to touch your soul. No, here you won’t find any happy songs but mournful hymns to angels, expressed in majestic ways. Listen to songs like “Doom Of Man”, “The Healing the Mystery” and “River Of Life I” and you will understand my point.
1. Waiting for the blood red sky
2. li lema sabbachtani
3. Doom of man
4. River of life (part 2)
5. Inner circle
6. Deep down under
7. The healing the mystery
8. River of life (part 4)
9. Voice of creation
10. The healers face
11. River of life (part 1)
Approx. 56 minutes
| 23:59 (CD) | 2006 | MCM Music |
The album begins with the song 'Like I’m Crucified', a very melancholic mid-tempo song characterized by dark melodies in its main theme and chorus –that remains the strongest part of the song. The band has taken a modern musical approach with this song with some electronic musical elements that left me a little bit surprised to tell you the truth. 'Shine' is the second song and its intro and main riffs are slow to mid-tempo, another modern approach in the riffing but the spirit of Veni Domine still wanders around the song. Once more some electronic elements left me surprised in the next song, 'Patience, Receive', which is another song in a melancholic and mysterious mood, the keyboards and the melodic vocal lines are creating the basic melodies. From the next song, 'Electrical Heaven' things become more wild and powerful, great guitar main theme and a magnificent melodic chorus, great song for sure. 'Valley Of The Visions' is one of my favorite songs on this release. It is a brilliant song with a great atmospheric main part, magnificent melodic vocal lines, great guitar themes and probably the most characteristic and melodic chorus of the whole album; definitely a song in the great Veni Domine epic doom metal standard. The atmospheric introduction of 'Living Sequence' prepares us for the electric break that follows. Again we can hear some electronic elements but the guitars are still there. 'Burdens' is my second favorite song after 'Valley Of The Visions'. You have to listen to this tune to realize how inspired it is. A melodic, epic and dark anthem; a song that only bands like Veni Domine are able to write and of course the ideal follower of such an opus is another opus with the title 'Die Another Day', a song with great guitar themes and keyboards that fit very well in its atmosphere. 'Brothers' continues in the same mood and as you may have realized as we are moving deeper into the world of this album the songs are becoming heavier, darker and closer to the classic Veni Domine style. Two songs have been left for the album to finish with. 'Hyper Sober Nature' is the weakest song of this release; completely out of the album’s general mood. However, 'Frozen' is another Veni Domine anthem capable of standing next to their classic tunes, a song able to whisper its beauty straight to your soul. This song completes the trio of the album’s best tunes together with 'Valley Of The Visions' and 'Burdens'.
To round up my thoughts I must say that Veni Domine have offered us an album that contains both some weak and brilliant songs. They seem to create their greater tunes when they choose to move on their well known, epic, melodic, deep and mournful musical paths. They seem weaker and beside the point when they choose to use electronic musical elements and a little bit of a modern approach in their songs. I would prefer the production to be a little heavier, but nevertheless I must say that the music of Veni Domine itself is in general so deep and inspired and has the strange ability to make the listener dive into its world, that there is really no room for thoughts about “heavy production”. I can understand the thirst of Veni Domine (and every band) to search for new songwriting processes and new musical elements but I think that they should stay with their classic style. Even in a record like this the classic Veni Domine musical moments are more, better and stronger than the modern ones, so everyone can make the comparison. As I said before the clear fact is that this band is able to create magnificent music and that is what you will hear on their latest album for one more time.
1. Like I’m Crucified
2. Shine
3. Patience, Receive
4. Electrical heaven
5. Valley Of The Visions
6. Living Sequence
7. Burdens
8. Die Another Day
9. Brothers
10. Hyper Sober Nature
11. The Frozen
Approx. 52 minutes