LAKE OF TEARS - Black Brick Road

Posted: 2/2/05

Reviewed by: Steve Gottlieb

Category: Goth-Hard Rock

Released: 2004

Label URL: www.noiserecords.com

Artist URL: www.lakeoftears.net

1/2

Although this Swedish band has been around since 1994 and have quite a few albums under their belt, Black Brick Road is likely the first that received any amount of recognition here in the US (and minimal recognition, at that).  And that’s a shame, since it really is a pleasant surprise to hear an album this well crafted.  While keyboard-heavy, goth influenced metallic rock isn’t really my favorite genre, the strong songs and catchy choruses force you to sit up and take notice.  The raspy, baritone vocals come through clear, and help add to the somber tone of the album.  BBR may have plenty of pop elements, but these aren’t ‘happy’ songs.  I guess goth-pop would be a good way to describe these tracks.  Imagine a combination of The Cult, Therapy, Sisters of Mercy and Depeche Mode doing a cover version of Metallica’s “Unforgiven II” and you’ll have a general idea of where these songs fall on the musical spectrum.

Opening track “The Greymen” jumps right out the box, and its sing along chorus and bouncing keyboards play off nicely against the understated guitars of the verse sections, while the rousing solo shows these guys can rock when they want to.  The title track is a mellower track with a dark, creepy vibe to it, while “Dystopia,” the standout track, features a great keyboard and power chord combo and a fantastic female-backed chorus.  Similarly strong songs appear throughout the album, some mellow like “The Organ,” some more driving and guitar-based like “Sister Sinister.”  And on album-closer “Crazyman,” they even crank up the distortion and snare drums for a Dio-esque heavy metal pounder.  In all, the musicians are quite capable, and the strong choruses and general songwriting make this an all around solid performance.      

The Bloody Truth:  Lake of Tears certainly isn’t the heaviest band around, but there are enough hard rock elements to make this an enjoyable listen, especially when the strong songwriting is considered.  These songs are perfectly suited for radio airplay, and why you haven’t heard these guys on it yet is proof positive that radio execs aren’t listening to the right bands.