Genre: Gothic Metal
Label: Napalm Records

Tristania have been around for fifteen years or so now with Rubicon being their sixth LP, and understandably they’ve had some hype with this new album. I’ve been excited to hear it after what I’ve heard of it, and now that I have heard it, it didn’t live up to the hype in my eyes.
The slower, more melancholy riffs are not as present, and where they are present they don’t have the same impact, the operatic vocals are not as present, and ultimately they have taken up a sound that is no longer what the leader of the gothic metal genre should have, but a follower. I should make special mention of “The Passing”, the fourth track, however. It sounds more like classic Tristania, with a slower riff, some crunchy fast parts, but a decidedly unfortunate lack of death growls. The violin performed by Pete Johansen (who hasn’t been with Tristania for ten years) is also a great addition to the song.
In the end though, “The Passing” is not enough to keep Rubicon flowing. I’ll stick with Viveynne, Trail of Tears and Sirenia for my gothic metal fix for now.
5 out of 10.

Tristania on MySpace.

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Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Napalm Records

I have to admit, I was a little bummed to find out that this wasn’t an album by the German thrash bastards of the same name… but hey, it’s been a while since I reviewed some blackened death metal, so I’m kind of excited all the same! Buzz is, these guys are kind of geared towards pleasing the Dimmu Borgir crowd… well, we’ll see how that goes…

After about six seconds of listening to The Return Of The Witch, I think everybody has the same reaction to Necronomicon this time around, “Wow… these guys really like Behemoth… a lot!” Rob “The Witch” Trembly’s (um… shouldn’t that be “The Warlock” or “The Wizard”?) vocals match up to Nergal’s fairly well, so no new surprises there. The drumming consists mostly of double bass and short burst blast beats that throw in for your speedy blackened thrash/death vote. Songs like The Awakening have a chanting background chorus that adds that little bit of a gothic pitch that keeps things relatively interesting as the album progresses. And momentum rest stop Lilith adds a pleasant respite of rhythmic ticking to ease the jangled nerves. A nice touch, I must say.

Overall: Honestly, Necronomicon is pretty much just going to be “another Behemoth clone” to a lot of you out there. However, I feel that as far as Behemoth worship goes, this is the most fun. The Return Of The Witch is fast, furious and full of feral fucktittude, putting it ahead of a lot of blackened death metal bands out there.

7/10

Necronomicon On MySpace

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Genres: Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal
Label: Napalm Records

Edenbridge have been around forever, and this is my first time hearing these Austrians. And to be honest, this isn’t my thing. I can tell it’s really good, as in the people who are in the band are extremely talented, but I just personally am not liking it much.
The guitar riffs and Sabine Edelsbacher’s voice are the two main stars of the album, with heavy emphasis on the keyboards as well, but to me it’s all flowing into a somewhat generic sounding symphonic/gothic metal sound.
Maybe the hardcore fans of the genre will like it, but I’m finding it hard to.
5 out of 10.

Edenbridge on MySpace.

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Genre: Gothic Rock
Label: Napalm Records

Taking a little bit of mainstream rock elements, adding in some dark textures, and having Lisa Johansson add her gorgeous voice to the album, Johan Ericson has created a wonderful album with Shadowgarden’s Ashen.
The great thing about it is that it doesn’t fulfill all of the bigger cliches of most gothic rock, rather taking a different route to arrive at the same destination: songs full of sadness, broken hearts, and lost love, and dripping with genuine emotions.
This album really reminds me of a less metallic sounding Moonspell, or a male-fronted Lacuna Coil, which is great. Both Moonspell and Lacuna Coil I love, so having another band in the same vein and bringing both sounds together makes me a happy reviewer. At times it even reminds me of Johan’s and Lisa’s main project Draconian, but mostly only in passing. The two bands are very different from each other.
If you’re into the gothic rock sounds that Napalm Records have made a living out of, Shadowgarden’s debut Ashen is definitely up your alley.
7.5 out of 10.

Shadowgarden on MySpace.

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In support of their critically acclaimed new album, Appalachian Incantation, Karma to Burn are hitting the road in October as direct support to Kemado recording artists The Sword. The nearly month-long tour will span the entirety of the Midwest and parts of both the East Coast and the West Coast. Released this past May to rapturous approval, Appalachian Incantation is Karma to Burn‘s first studio album in eight years and the legendary stoner rockers’ first album for Napalm Records, following the release of their Live 2009 – Reunion Tour DVD earlier this year. Here are the confirmed dates and venues:

Oct 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
Oct 2 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
Oct 3 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
Oct 4 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
Oct 6 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Oct 11 – TBA
Oct 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Oct 13 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Oct 14 – Roanoke, VA @ Martin’s DowntowFn
Oct 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Art
Oct 16 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Oct 17 – Boston, MA @ Royale
Oct 19 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Oct 20 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Oct 21 – Huntington, WV @ V Club
Oct 22 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s
Oct 23 – Chicago, IL @ Metro

For more info, check out Karma to Burn on MySpace.

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