Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Gothic Power Metal
Label: Punishment 18 Records

It’s been a little while since some power metal has passed through my CD player, so you can imagine that I’m super stoked to have a copy of Bejelit’s You Die And I… in my possession. Join me as we venture into this world of dragons, leather and… oh wait. Wrong kind of power metal.

Bejelit play a mixture of genres that all border on power metal in one way or another. Most of the time, they sound like a Sonata Arctic cover band in some songs and an explosion of goth meets industrial-power metal in others. The vocalist is the fucking man when it comes to belting out some pretty intimidating notes. I’m not kidding! Listen to this guy and say, “Yeah, I can do that too.” with a straight face. They’ve also got a song on here called Shinigami. Now, anybody who’s even a casual anime fan knows where this song is probably going… that’s right. It’s a song about Death Note. (Ugh!) But to their credit, the song kicks-ass! And hey, it could have been much worse. They could of wrote one called “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” (Owwww!) But I guess I should just be happy that there is a nod to anime somewhere in here…

Overall: Yet ANOTHER awesome export from Italy and Punishment 18. The metal nerd in you wants this album and I think you should listen to him/her and pick You Die And I… up.

8/10

Bejelit On MySpace

Orignially Posted On E-MetalSpace

Genre: Gothic Rock
Label: Napalm Records

With a voice that reminds me of Godhead’s Jason Miller at times, Lacrimas Profundere quickly impressed me. Riff-wise, they aren’t exactly covering new territories in rock music, but the instruments have a sound that lends itself well to what Lacrimas Profundere are doing, and what they are doing is rocking out solid tunes with catchy as hell choruses and big hooks that keep you interested in the songs.
I guess overall, if I were to compare them to others, Lacrimas Profundere would be like a cross between Godhead and Poison Black with elements of Sirenia and Japanese metal floating in and out of the mix. Pounding rhythm section with simple guitar riffs and a very compelling frontman, topped with a symphonic keyboard that doesn’t steal the thunder from anyone else, but adds to the storm.
My favourite songs on the album are “The Letter” and “Lips” with “No Matter Where You Shoot Me Down” winning the Coolest Song Title on the Album Award.
8 out of 10.

Lacrimas Profundere on MySpace.

Genre: Gothic, Black Metal, Symphonic
Label: Napalm Records

The brainchild of Morten Veland (that guy from Sirenia, Elusive and ex- Tristania), Mortemia blends elements from black metal, gothic metal (if that’s really even a genre) and even death metal to present to you, the listener, Misere Mortem. Can he pull it off without sounding too much like a Dimmu-Therion clone? Let’s read on…

Ok, so there are certain things you expect from a guy like Morten: melodic guitars, harsh vocals and clean structures. Mortemia has all of this so fans of his previous work won’t be disappointed one bit. There is an engulfing symphonic tone to it all as well that is helped along with the addition of a gothic choir that chants the choruses and accentuates the powerful riffing and semi-clean vocal approach. The thought that one man can put all of this together is inspiring to say the least!

Overall: Dark, powerful and overwhelmingly beautiful, Misere Mortem is a jewel in the already studded crown of Mr. Veland. If you dig the darker side of metal but don’t want the pretentious Satanism or to have to associate with pissy the black metal elite, then this is your album.

8.5/10

Mortemia On MySpace

Originally posted on E-MetalSpace