13 Winters
Dark Palace Of Waterfalls ()
Wydane przez Dark Valley RecordsRok wydania Kraj USANapisał Wouter6
Maine, New England female fronted dark metal act 13 Winters return after their commendable (but hardly spectacular) debut "Where the Souls Wander". This second album once again combines the death/doom of My Dying Bride ("As the Flower Withers") with the symphonic genre-bending work of Moonspell, circa "Wolfheart" with a dash of "Sacro Culto" era Opera IX. Vocally, Diana Adams is quite similar to former Opera IX singer Cadaveria. The tempo is mostly midpaced with the occasional foray into faster territory. The plodding tempo is this record biggest downfall as the songs miss symphonic grandeur, memorable arrangements and catchy hooks that made Dimmu Borgir a institute in the genre. The charismatic leads/solos form a highlight on this record and need to be explored more on future material. Three tracks ('Dark Palace Of Waterfalls', 'Horizon's End' and 'In Gods' Eyes') have contributions from the Unis Vir Symphony from Portland. Strangely, there's also a cover of '80s synth-pop sensation Duran Duran's 'Hungry Like The Wolf' to be found here. The production by keyboardist/violinist Roy Adams and his own Dark Valley Studios has improved notably compared to their lacklustre debut. The album was mixed and mastered by Jay Frigoletto at Metronome Media Group (Alice In Chains, Shadows Fall, Life Of Agony). The artwork, design and lay-out are still amateurish and ugly. The writing errors in the lyrics and the production notes of the booklet are simply inexcusable. "Dark Palace Of Waterfalls" is a step in the right direction for 13 Winters, although they are far from the professional band they aim to be. Hopefully they'll have worked out the flaws by the time they get around to releasing their third album.
www.dark-valley-records.com
