English gothic metal outfit EnkElination formed in 2011, taking a Finnish singer in as their lead. They released their debut EP "
Never Ending" the following year, but all three songs from that record would later appear in the band's first full-length to be released in 2014 entitled "Tears of
Lust."
Generally speaking, the musicianship is pretty solid.
Both the guitars and drums are pretty basic, but they are performed decently. The former dishes out some good melodies, and the latter, while too quiet at certain instances, does hold up its framework rather well. The standout, however, would indubitably be the singing, performed by Elina Siirala. Her vocals are operatic but not overwhelming, and they manage to hit the notes very gracefully and have a lot of presence in the music. The instruments are nicely performed, but the singing is what really pulls things through.
The production, while decent, does leave a bit of room for improvement. The sound of this album does feel somewhat restrained. In other words, it doesn't really let the music unleash the cinematic atmosphere appropriate for this genre as much as it should. Because of this, the music doesn't pack quite as much of a punch as it ought to deliver. On the bright side, though, the vocals and instruments do sound very clear. It's not flawless, but it holds its ground nonetheless.
The release itself is potently written and does have a few good stand-out moments as well. The songs are quite diverse, and this helps in ensuring that the record doesn't run low on steam that much. As for the highlights, the title track serves as a powerful opener that sets the mood for the rest of the songs with its balance between ethereal and dark overtones, and is probably the best of them. "Higher
Ground" has a very similar quirk, and the singing is layered with lots of tact and grace. All in all, the potency behind the songs' formulas definitely shows in their variety and dynamic.
That being said, however, "Tears of
Lust" could benefit from more innovation. The release is pleasurable, make no mistake, but at the same time, there isn't much to it that makes it stand out that much from the gothic metal crowd. Aside from the singing, which is rather unique in comparison to most others of the same caliber, the instrumentation and song structures seem to tread all-too familiar ground most of the time. As a result, while this is a good album, there needs to be more to it for it to be a great one, and inventiveness is key.
On an optimistic note, however, "Tears of
Lust" does still deliver some bold gothic metal. The musicianship and production are decent, the singing itself is very suave, and the songs are effectively constructed. Hardcore fans of the aforementioned genre will likely take a lot of pleasure in giving this a listen. As for everyone else, although some newer and fresher ideas would definitely help, it's pretty enjoyable and could serve as an appropriate gateway to the genres for newcomers.
Originally posted on: http://metaljerky.blogspot.com/
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