 |
Lacrimas: The Grandiose Nowhere Gothic Rock Napalm Records April 30th, 2010
| ||
|
Review
Originally starting out as a band that blended a Gothic and Doom Metal element together well, Lacrimas Profundere have slowly changed their style into a straight forward Gothic Rock sound. Now, with their ninth studio full-length release, The Grandiose Nowhere, we find the band has sadly erased any trace of their Doom Metal past for an album that will remind listeners of other well known acts of this style such as Entwine, The 69 Eyes or, more obviously, H.I.M., while still maintaining a sound that is somewhat unique over these other acts, as well as a good majority of Gothic Rock bands in general. This can all be accountable to one event in the band's history: The departure of vocalist Christopher Schmidt. Sadly, this album is perhaps the lowest points in the band's career. One of the main allures that many fans of Lacrimas Profundere were the deep, almost depressing vocals that appear on the band's recordings. However, on this release, Rob Vitacca has stepped away from that amazing sound to a more generic lighter vocal style that suits the music well, but leaves the listener wanting more then just a Ville Valo knock-off. Combine this and the rather simple music found on this release, it becomes no shock when you realize this release was produced by John Fryer, who has worked with the band in the past, but is also known for his time spent producing albums for H.I.M., which really does show through on this release. Right off the bat, the new world will take you by surprise with the openner "Be Mine In Tears", which is actually a very entertaining song that really drives the band worship factor home. The only problem with this song upon the first listen is the rather comical vocals that chime in, almost sounding like they are being performed by someone with a terrible speech impediment. After this track, the vocals become less hysterical, and a bit deeper, which is more then could be said for the music. No, the material on this release is not hysterical, but it's not the most impressive either. There are some tracks on here, such as "Her Occasion of Sin" and "A Plea" that are a little more impressive then some of the more cliche tracks on the release thanks to some more complex guitar riffs and a little more heaviness thrown in. But, for those who enjoy the style, even the more mainstream and generic tracks on here, such as "Lips", are still enjoyable to an extent. These songs really won't hold much of a lasting appeal, but they are rather infectious for the first few times through the album. However, there are some songs on here that seriously seem to scrape the bottom of the barrell. The song "I Don't Care" is a rather slow track that borders on what could be a ballad for this style, and just sounds really dull and drawn out. "Dead Heart Serenade" is another that falls in this category, but at least has a little more power behind it. Aside that, the band goes from worship to clone with some of the songs. There's "The Fear of Being Alone" which is essentially a carbon copy of a The 69 Eyes song, enough for the band's die hard fan base to cry blasphemy, and who can't miss the track "My Little Fear" which sounds too much like their rendition of something the Progressive Rock/Metal act Evergrey would churn out, and then right back to more H.I.M. worship. Unfortunately, The Grandiose Nowhere offers nothing new or original except the band's own little spin on the already established Gothic Rock sound. It's sad to see this band fall to such depths as they do on this release, but in all fairness, the CD is not too shabby as far as band worship releases go. But still, it's at this point in Lacrimas Profundere's career that the band may want to look into changing their name, as their sound on this release is quite a dramatic departure from anything the band has put out prior to their blurprint album Songs for the Last View. The Grandiose Nowhere is cheesy Gothic Rock that follows every staple in the book, and is only recomended for those who like ripping wings off butterflies, or simply can't take all the love in Love Metal, yet find the music highly enjoyable.
|
|||
