Released by: Frontiers
Release date: 21 August 2015
Genre: Metal, Power Metal
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Lineup:
Angelica Rylin – Vocals
Patrik Janson – Bass
Daniel Flores – Drums, Keyboards
Christopher Vetter – Guitar
Track Listing:
01. Hell On Earth
02. The Awakening
03. World In Ashes
04. Always the Fugitive
05. Bitter Love
06. Still
07. Humble Servant
08. Requiem for a Ghost
09. Euthanasia
10. Tide after Tide
11. Poets by Default
12. Heaven Succumb
13. Means to an End
When I see a female lead singer mentioned alongside the words “Symphonic Power Metal” my attention is usually pretty riveted. But after listening to The Murder of My Sweet’s (“TMOMS”) latest, “Beth out of Hell,” I’m not finding what I was hoping for here.
Described by singer, Angelica Rylin, as a “apocalyptic love story where Lucifer’s Daughter falls in love with the Archangel Michael”. That story actually started with the last three songs from their previous cd; “Bye Bye Lullabye”. Only the opener “Hell on Earth” and some bits of dialogue gave me any idea of a story from my first listen, but you pick up more after a few more spins. I guess I have a hard time getting into a lyrical perspective that trashes my beliefs, but maybe that’s just me…
While the production does reach for the grand, Rylin’s vocals tend to get buried in the mix, which is a disappointment as she’s not half bad. She reminds me a little of Anette Olzon, late of Nightwish.
The Nightwish comparison is kind of appropriate, as TMOMS makes much in interviews of aspiring for a “cinema/film score” kind of sound. The thing is, when you aspire to that, you better have the chops for it because bands like Nightwish, Sirenia, Xandria, etc. have set the bar pretty high. As I mentioned the production – handled by drummer/keyboadist/composer Daniel Flores – reaches for that bar but isn’t quite hitting it. There are plenty of decent orchestral hits, but their new bass player Patrik Janson is kind of lost in the mix and the drums are simply plodding along and mechanized.
There is some decent stuff on this album. However, my personal favorites included the opener “The Awakening”. It starts from a quiet chorus and builds to a really great solo. “Humble Servant,” finally gives Rylin a chance to shine without fighting against the production. That blends right into the epic track of the album “Requiem for a Ghost”. To me all the elements they’re aiming for do come together and really satisfy that symphonic/power itch I’ve been looking to scratch when listening to this album.
Overall, if you judge it as goth-styled modern rock in the vein of “Evanescence” or “We are the Fallen”; it’s fairly decent. The album just takes too long to get to where I could enjoy it as a power metal album.
Written by: Anthony N Meyers
Rating: Anthony 6/10
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