Deathstars' style is known as "deathglam" among the fans (it was the working title of Night Electric Night), but the Occam's razor doesn't really warrant such a specific label, since the band basically plays bouncy pop industrial blended with a dose of goth metal (no big novelty, either). During their best - that's to say, most dynamic - moments, Deathstars are pretty similar to Rammstein, utilizing the same brand of simplistic heavy riffs and "get your tushy in gear" rhythms; the synth textures lend a grim, theatrical atmosphere to the music, and the vocalist (who goes by "Whiplasher Bernadotte") tips it all off with some deeply sinful crooning and occasional snarling. The lyrics are in English, not German, but it doesn't matter, since Deathstars aren't here to challenge Bob Dylan. What's more important is that Deathstars' flair for dark pomp never lets them become as recklessly ferocious as Rammstein…

Symphonic metal institution Sirenia are renewed in darkness on their tenth studio album, Riddles, Ruins & Revelations. The quartet around mastermind, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and producer Morten Veland is certainly not afraid of combining a heavy symphonic sound with modern influences, which their record, Arcane Astral Aeons (2018) is proof of. This time, Sirenia offer an exciting new twist to their songs, spicing them with electronic vibes, but never losing sight of their musical core.
The four-piece remains as true to their album title word-play as they do to their dedication to symphonic soundscapes, drawing the listener into a pounding narrative about the darkest aspects of life…

Exploring a new style like never before - symphonic metal icons Sirenia revolutionize their melodic darkness on the brand new studio album. Transporting the listener to a retro auditory arcade harking back to when groovy synthwave melodies dominated the world of music, the international band merges late 70’s and 80’s pop rock stylings with synthwave elements and their remarkable, hard-hitting symphonic melodies - shaking the listener to the core. Once again, Norwegian mastermind, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter Morten Veland produced the 11th record, while HK at Vamacara Studio, France, took care of the mixing. It marks another prove that, after more than twenty years of existence, Sirenia still rank at the very top of the genre…

The style of this album follows the way of the previous Lake of Tears albums since "Headstones". Maybe the main difference in "Moons and Mushrooms", apart of its odd title, is that this album is has less 70's influences, and it's more focused in authentic gothic rock, in the style of other nordic bands like The Wounded and Sentenced. This is a pity, because the thing that make this band so special, is their mix between 70's psychedelic inflences, 80's souding keyboards, and modern gothic rock. And that it's a bit diminished in "Moons and Mushroom".

Replete with an excellent Eliran Kantor (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ex Deo) cover art - commissioned by Stainthorpe, "The Ghost of Orion" posits My Dying Bride back on the proverbial doom-death throne. In fact, they’ve never sounded better. From the doleful lay in 'Your Broken Shore' to the grim 10-minute epic 'The Old Earth,' "The Ghost of Orion" is the product of a vibrantly creative band unwilling to rest on their laurels or past glories.
My Dying Bride‘s three decades of misery almost came to an end several years ago. Following 2015’s universally lauded "Feel the Misery" album, vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe’s daughter, just five years old at the time, was diagnosed with cancer. Shocked and heartbroken, Stainthorpe put all band activities on hold while he, his immediate family, and My Dying Bride put their collective energies into eradicating what Stainthorpe called, "the cruellest of God's bitter and loveless creations"…

After breaking up in 2002, releasing an album made only by Danniel Brennare ("The Neonai"), Lake of Tears returned in 2004 in top form with "Black Brick Road"!
The style of "Black Brick Road" is the typical Lake of Tears gothic metal mixed with a lot of 70's influences. But this time, maybe even darker than before, being the album not so depressive like "Forever Autumn", but with more sinister melodies (wiht the exception of Sister Sinister, a very animated rock track.) The using of keyboards and the dominance of hard riffs is what makes "Black Brick Road" similar to "A Crimson Cosmos". Nevertheless, the amazing track Dystopia could have been in "The Neonai", just like A Trip with the Moon… The dramatic and retro-gothic The Organ, has the style of "Forever Autumn". The rest of the tracks have the Lake of Tears typical that they have made since "A Crimson Cosmos".

Lake of Tears' fifth album, The Neonai, is also set to be their last, with singer/guitarist Daniel Brennare announcing that he will be moving in a different direction, possibly with a new project also named Neonai. And what a pity too, since many would argue that the band was still in its prime. Considering this is the end of the line makes Lake of Tears' trajectory all the more interesting to look back on - especially since their drastic evolution from depressive doom metal to spacy, post-Pink Floyd goth rock took place without compromising the quality of their music, something other respectable bands like Paradise Lost and Tiamat have failed miserably at. Brought home by the album's fantastical, psychedelic artwork (a bright, colorful, mirror-opposite of the dark collages often used by Cathedral), the truth is that there's little left in Lake of Tears' sound that even resembles heavy metal…

The most instrumentally dense, musically accomplished release from Lake of Tears, Forever Autumn is probably the group's finest accomplishment. With its metal-cum-folk dramatics and melancholy harmonicas, Lake of Tears draws what must be an unintended comparison to American alt-rock prankster outfitWeen. It's very doubtful that members of either band even heard of - much less listened to - the other, but Forever Autumn's high-contrast folk/prog/metal (especially the sedate and conversational vocals on tracks like "The Homecoming") bears an eerie comparison to many a Ween classic. All random musical associations aside, the dense, well-arranged "So Fell Autumn Rain," "Hold on Tight," and "To Blossom Blue" stand out as career bests for Lake of Tears…

Sometimes heavier, and generally more traditionally structured, Lake of Tears' third Black Mark release A Crimson Cosmos, turned out to be the band's breakout recording. In Europe (where the Lake of Tears brand of dour but traditional metal never fell completely out of favor), critics and fans finally began giving some respect to the group and their rapidly improving sound. Songs like "Raistlin and the Rose" and "Cosmic Weed" are some of the most musically satisfying efforts from the band. But strange numbers like the curious and hokey "Lady Rosenred" and other singalongs, like "Devil's Diner," almost go too far. After starting out with a debut marked by its aimlessness, the turnaround of Crimson Cosmos - released just four years later - is profound for sure, but not always comfortable…

Abandoning their doom and death metal affectations almost completely (and appropriately, for that matter), Lake of Tears take a more traditional metal approach on "Headstones." Released on Black Mark just a year after their debut for the label, this sophomore outing is a noticeable improvement upon Greater Art. The songwriting and recording is tighter, and in what would become a long-term trend for the group, the guttural chants of their prior release are refined, as more melodic vocals are used to create greater emphasis on repeating memorable choruses. This traditional, almost Metallica-like vocal delivery combined with more aggressive guitar work is an improvement for Lake of Tears. Headstones is a decent release from a group experiencing a much-needed musical evolution.

For its 30th anniversary this extremely beautiful box presents LACRIMOSA from all sides! Over three CDs, with a total playing time of three hours and forty minutes, the legendary 25th anniversary concert immerses the listener in LACRIMOSA's incomparable live atmosphere.

After the last album was released 13 years ago, DARK PRINCESS manifested themselves back to life with a few singles piece by piece equal to a “Phoenix”, and now complete the rebirth in the form of the new album, which bears the name of the fire bird. The broad vocal repertoire of Olga Trifonova inspires without limits. With her strong character mezzo-soprano the Russian outshines many of the 0815-voices of Symphonic and Gothic Metal and stays in the memory with that certain extra. Great cinema. Or glamorous opera. With Metal. The title track is a perfect introduction to “Phoenix”. DARK PRINCESS remains lyrically true to the theme of firebird, freedom and not giving up, which finally culminates in a spiritual way in a self-confident rebirth.

Once upon a time, goth rock meant a bunch of vampire-looking people playing new wave-y music. However, the times they are a changin', as goth metal has arguably become the most common and popular goth-related music circa the early 21st century. And the proof is in the emergence of such acts as Moonspell. A certified sensation back home in Portugal (where their albums reach the top of the charts, and they even won an MTV Europe award for Best Portuguese Act), the quintet has certainly carved a niche for themselves, and continue to riff and growl away on their 2008 release, Night Eternal. If you were to erase the goth keyboards from the proceedings, Moonspell would sound like your average extreme metal band. But with the keys added, Moonspell are one of the few bands of the genre that is not entirely one-dimensional…

Moonspell's sixth full-length release again finds the long-running Portuguese quintet producing heavily atmospheric metal that owes as much to Sisters of Mercy as to Black Sabbath. The songs on Darkness and Hope generally emphasize the overall mood over songwriting hooks, but there are some memorable moments, such as the streamlined "Devilred" and the darkly metallic "Rapaces." Splitting the difference between Type O Negative and Tiamat, Moonspell achieves both threatening ferocity and stately grace.

Moonspell continues to delve into slow, Gothic doom-metal on Sin/Pecado, with occasional samples and electronic percussion popping up in the atmospheric arrangements. Still, the band has not yet quite recaptured the spark of their debut, Wolfheart.
2019 Deluxe version with 3 bonus tracks.