Goth masters return with a vengeance
I genuinely can not believe that Lacrimas are now in their twentieth year, a band that have consistently produced a brand of Gothic orientated Metal that has always been uncompromising and from the heart, delivered with style and panache and maintaining a musical consistency that is the envy of many.
‘Antiadore’, in my view, is the bands best output by far since the heady days of 2004’s ‘Ave End’, an album which still sits within touching distance of the stereo after nearly ten years and is surely one of the genres most underrated bodies of work.
This latest release sees the band firing on all cylinders from the off, the majestic and moody ’My Release In Pain’ could not be a better choice for an opener if the band had tried, a fast paced, riff laden, piano tinkling masterpiece that shows the full range of vocal talent possessed by Rob Vitacca perfectly. Rob’s voice is often compared and described as a mix between Ville Valo and Jim Morrison, which is fair enough but there is so much more to his repertoire and this is certainly a track that allows him to expand and diversify.
The title track is actually a softer affair than some of the other tracks on offer, certainly from a vocal delivery aspect anyway but still oozes atmospheric gold from start to finish, the drumming of Dominik Scholz carrying everything along to perfection.
Indeed, the album comes across as a beautifully balanced affair, plenty of twists and turns, moving from soulful and touching moments such as ’All For Nothing’, a track that is just rammed with emotion and feeling to the point of overflow, to the hard edged riffs of ’Dead To Me’, with its darker, angrier feel, contrasted by the bouncy ’Deny For Now’, the whole range of styles are covered. My personal highlight though is the epic ’Head Held High’, (co written by Ricky Warwick), an almost power ballad affair, which just works beautifully on so many levels that it is simply faultless .
Lacrimas are a band that it seems have had to live in the shadow of stadium bands such as HIM for a number of years now, which is a crying shame as in my eyes they offer so much more than the aforementioned both in content and mood. Hopefully this album will push the band on another notch and edge them closer to getting the credit they richly deserve.
Track Listing;
1. My Release In Pain
2. Antiadore
3. What I’m Not
4. All For Nothing
5. Dead To Me
6. Abandon
7. Still In Need
8. Deny For Now
9. Head Held High
10. My Chest
11. Remembrance Song
12. A Sigh
Lacrimas Profundere are;
Rob Vitacca – Vocals
Oliver Nikolas Schmid – Guitars
Tony Berger – Guitars
Dominik Scholz – Drums
Released via Napalm Records on 24th of May.
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