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The founding bands of the gothic doom metal genre have one by one moved away from the original formula of the beauty and the beast concept with a male death growler and a female soprano voice. Therefore many people should appreciate new bands who stick to the roots and do not try to renew or reinvent themselves with each new album. One of the new additions to this still quite narrow genre is France's Ad Vitam Aeternam, a band that has existed since 1999 and now consists of six experienced musicians aged between 26 and 32. "Velvet Darkness They Fear" period Theatre Of Tragedy immediately come to mind when I listen to the female vocalist of this band. Her voice is stronger and more powerful than that of Liv Kristine at the time but the style of singing is similar. Her whispers sound like they were taken directly off Tristania's "Widows Weeds" and it is obvious that the band members have been listening to many of the early bands who helped create this genre. The keyboards sometimes sound a little cheap and unnecessary but there are also times when they fit in very well with the rest of the instruments. The female vocalist is no doubt the most memorable element of this album but the growl of the male counterpart could have been more powerful. Too often it feels as if Ad Vitam Aeternam are standing and stumbling in the same place without moving anywhere but in circles. Fans of the genre may still find something of interest here as all the basic ingredients are present.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Bitterness |
| 2. Picture Of Dorian Gray |
| 3. Dementia |
| 4. Phoney Icons |
| 5. In The Throes Of Apocalypse |
| 6. Les Meandres De L’Ame |
| 7. Abstract Senses |
| 8. The Grievous Musician |
: 46.19
| Buy other Ad Vitam Aeternam albums |
