Just from giving a quick once over to the packaging alone it’s pretty obvious
Germany
’s Flowing Tears wants to break through in a big way. They’ve traded in their straightforward band-next-door look, complete with pretty girl-next-door vocalist Stefanie Duchene for the polish of rockstars, complete with pouty, sultry new vocalist Helen Vogt. But glamorous photo sessions mean nothing without an album to back them up. On their latest, Razorbliss, probably the band’s darkest and heaviest to date, and probably the heaviest production effort I have heard from perennial Century Media favorite Waldemar Sorychta, the band attempts to put their money where their painted mouths are.
And succeed? One thing Flowing Tears offers up that differs from most female fronted bands in this sub genre is that Vogt’s voice is deep. I mean really deep. Not so far as to sound manly but nowhere in the arena of your typical female pop rock vocalists, it lends a smoky quality to the music not necessarily unfamiliar to FT fans; she sounds eerily similar to Duchene more often than not.
The album kicks off with the title track, a slick, sleek kick in the ass that does its best to make as little sense as possible. I submit Exhibit A:
“Comfort the blind
Serpents to God
Pray for the night
When the seed will understand
Carry the light
Stand up to fall all alone
It’s razorbliss for you!”
…what? This might be due to these non-native English speaking folk writing songs in English but it doesn’t change the fact that a lot of the lyrics on Razorbliss end up sounding like a stringing together of a bunch of words that sound good together but don’t make much sense. This is by no means the first time a metal band has sounded unintentionally vague to these ears. Italian goth rockers Lacuna Coil, who now seem poised to obtain Evanescence levels of metal popularity with their inclusion on this year’s Ozzfest tour and extensive airtime on American radio have songs that make no sense, yet is a band I enjoy quite a bit. Still, as someone who looks at both the music and lyrics as equally important parts to a song, both bands lose points in this department.
Speaking of Lacuna Coil, one notable problem with the band for me has always been their spotty reputation for changing tempos between songs. Most songs have had a tendency to remain in a steady mid-tempo, occasionally breaking off but always falling back into that trap of the mid-tempo lull. Flowing Tears shares this, among a number of other similarities (producer, sexy female vocalist, trend conscious photo sessions) with their label mates. And even though there are enjoyable tunes including the title track, “Undying” and “Mine Is The Ocean”, complete with that gothic metal approved catchier-than-it-probably-should-be chorus, the band handicaps itself by limiting its range, not just in tempo but even in song length. With exception to the final track, all songs fall within the three-minute range and some feel needlessly cut short, as if the band was forced to stay within a radio friendly length; “Ballad of A Lonely God” and the ethnically tinged “Maladine” come to mind.
Ultimately, Razorbliss comes off a little shaky with average and above average moments battling it out throughout the entire album. Whether or not this is why the band has yet to obtain distribution in the
U.S.
I’m not sure, though American listeners can easily find it online and probably at a finer record store near you. I really think Flowing Tears have the chops to break from the pack of gothic rock/metal wannabes for good but I think we’re going to have to wait for that break through release just a little bit longer.
Track Listing:
Razorbliss / Bliss / Virago / Undying / Radium Angel / Firedream / Ballad of a Lonely God / Snakes of Grey / Mine is the Ocean / Maladine / Unspoken / Pitch Black Water.
Flowing Tears:
Helen Vogt - Vocals
Benjamin Buss - Guitars / Programming
Stefan Gemballa- Drums
Frederic Lesny - Bass
