Tracklist
1. Elusive
2. In Seclusion
3. Under Her Wings
4. Requiem
5. Severance
6. For A Brighter Death
****
Orcynia Records
Recorded in Lille from October 2007 to February 2008
Mixed and mastered at AMA Sound studio during summer 2008
All songs written by Carline Van Roos and Matthieu Sachs from 2002 to 2007
All lyrics by Carline Van Roos
Lethian Dreams is an Atmospheric Doom metal band based in Lille (northern France)..
Lethian Dreams came to existence in the Summer of 2002, from the hands
of Carline Van Roos (Remembrance, Aythis) and Matthieu Sachs
(Remembrance).
Carline Van Roos (also plays in Remembrance, and Aythis ) : vocals, guitars, keyboard, bass, drums programming
Matthieu Sachs (also plays in Remembrance and Semper Dolens): guitars
Carlos D'Agua (also plays in Before the Rain, ex-Sculpture ) : voice
---------------------------
Doom Metal is alive and well and currently residing in France of all
places. Actually I'm talking about the band Lethian Dreams. At first
glance of their new 6-song CD Bleak Silver Streams I thought it was an
EP. Although it has only 6-songs, the CD is actually 54-minutes long!
All of the songs clock in at the 8-10 minute range and feature some of
the heaviest riffs this side of Candlemass. The songs feature three
distinctive vocal styles in their repertoire. The male vocals are
handled by Carlos D'Agua. He employs two different styles, one is more
of an aggressive extreme metal style and the other has more of a Celtic
Frost "Into The Pandemonium" vibe to it. Carline Van Roos performs the
female vocals. In addition to her vocal duties she also plays the
following instruments: guitars, keyboards, bass and programming, she
also wrote all of the lyrics and co-wrote the music with guitarist
Mathieu Sachs who completes the line up.
The 9-minute track
"Elusive" starts things off and right from the get-go the listener is
drawn in by the heaviness of the opening riff and a spoken word vocal
bit, before the more extreme vocals come in. Carline's vocals come in a
short time later and the contrast in styles is really cool and unique
for this style of music. It is really a solid opener and the song really
puts the band on full display. "In Seclusion" is next and it starts off
slow yet still very heavy and is a definite highlight. The band doesn't
stray too far from what they do best, and that gives the listener a
sense of comfort, what you hear is exactly what you get. "Under Her
Wings (Mournful Whispers)" is another song over 9-minutes long and it
begins with a eerie keyboard intro before Carlos' extreme style vocals
come in and soon give way to Carline. The trio of "Requiem", "Severance"
and "For A Brighter Death" complete the CD. "Requiem" in particular is a
big highlight on the CD. I like the fact that all of the vocal styles
are split pretty evenly, they are all given plenty of space the show
what they can do. Looking at the song titles, you can pretty much judge
what the band is about lyrically. Nothing too happy here, but Carline's
lyrics are well thought out and very poetic.
With their doomy riffs,
long songs and the overall feel of Bleak Silver Streams Lethian Dreams
may not appeal to everyone, but fans looking for a new band to support
in the doom genre, should look no further than Lethian Dreams. They just
may be the next big thing in doom.
