It's not hard to be easily blown away by this record; I mean listen to the resonant deep dark angelic voice of new vocalist Helen Vogt and the discrete melodies with the thick heavy backdrop played by this quartet. Mixing the haunting sub-Goth overtones of Tiamat and Moonspell, the technicality of Dream Theatres heavier material (think of
Train of Thought and
Awake), as well as the dark subconscious mood from early
Anathema and
Virgin Black creates the perfect element for such a strategically produced record that has been brought to the table.
With Vogt's baritone voice creating the patented sound that has become the focus of
Flowing Tears' sound along with the sub-rectified crunch of the axework (Mesa Boogie, Soldano, maybe?) played by Benjamin Buss, who also provides the synth outlay to provide the ambience to
Razorbliss, offer the auditory control to move beyond straight forward crunch structure, with keyboards used sparingly to provide the pads and occasional melodic compliment to the overall atmosphere.
When looking at the textures of the album track by track, all flow freely, making
Razorbliss have it's "album" stature, carrying the consistency throughout without going all over the place, all knit within the twelve cuts, without overbearing concepts that might otherwise cast pall that would otherwise possibly bury every cuts personal mark upon this record. All cuts generally have the dark atmosphere, with the thick crunch, which goes without being overbearingly dense, keeping it above a mid-tempo pace. Cuts like
"Firedream," "Mine is the Ocean," and the title track are some of the heavier cuts found here;
"Believe" (featuring Dirk Thurisch from
Angel Dust guests as a vocalist),
"Virago," and
"Maladine" offer the records emotionally tainted cuts, while the sub-ambience atmosphere of
"Unspoken," "Snakes of Grey," and the pseudo-ballad
"Pitch Black Water," bring
Razorbliss through different directions.
Overall with Devin Townsend-ish production (but not quite as layered or dense) and it's impressive array of melodies,
Flowing Tears returns with a record strongly in favor of the fan's expectations, and anyone who has the yearning for yet a straightforward approach to the Goth-Metal sound filled with the emphasis on the overall melodic structure without going way off into symphonic, progressive, or black metal pastures.
Written by
Hashman Monday, April 5, 2004
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