Lacrimosa

Germany's goth duo Lacrimosa have signed onto Nuclear Blast for their first U.S. release after having entertained Europe for a decade. Having quite a following in spooky kid circles, their brand of grandiose orchestral goth will appeal to the mopey and the melodramatic. They've been described as goth metal, but aside from the odd wailing guitar solo on Fassade, there is far too much acoustic piano and French horn to be considered metal. The closest they come to metal on this disc would be the Rob Zombie-sounding "Liebesspiel." But, for the most part, beautiful vocals, both male, female and choir, keep this mostly in the gothic genre, with enough melancholy to keep anyone miserable for months; the German vocals certainly add to this doom and gloom atmosphere. The theme of the disc is supposed to be a somewhat existential look at the individual in society, and there is a particular flow to the tracks that would lend to a certain type of storytelling. The only bit of oddness that breaks that flow a little is the way every song ends with a very quick fade out. The music doesn't end, nor does it slowly get quieter and quieter, it just all of a sudden drops out as if it wasn't supposed to be playing in the first place. I can't imagine why this is so, as it makes for very anti-climatic endings to what would otherwise be some great pieces. Nonetheless, a fine piece of work that all who like classic goth will enjoy.