Customer Reviews

Beautiful Death

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As is the case for many fans of Bella Morte, I have been following them since particular tracks from "Remains" made it to nondescript corners of the internet and waited like shining gems. Like shining gems wreathed in aeon-old cobwebs and aglow by dancing candlelight. "Funeral Night", "One Winter's Night", "Nevere" - these are songs that immediately captivated me with their fantastic collision of the dark, fear, and a love boundless. As a long-time fan of Edgar Allan Poe, these songs spoke to me on a level at that time untouched by any musical outlet or collective. I needed no further persuading. Bella Morte was forever tattooed upon me (not literally).

Fast forward 11 years. I am still as impassioned about Bella Morte as I was in those initial moments of awe that came with those now-elusive tracks. I even have a part of me forever dedicated to the band; Bella Morte is still forever tattooed upon me (and now it's literal). Thus my excitement concerning the new release, "Beautiful Death". My dance macabre with this newest album has been carrying on since long before it's actual release. Being fortunate enough to have seen Bella Morte in concert twice in the same few months, I got a small glimpse at what the new album had to offer, hearing "In the Dirt" and "Eternal" in concert. Not that I had any doubts about the new material, but these songs arose in this listener both a sense of unity, of fear, and of that dark so familiar to me as a Bella Morte fan. I only had to bide my time until the actual release, satisfying myself on youtube's live videos of the new material.

Fast forward a few more months to the present. The album is out and it is fantastic! As a listener who has been following BM since the early days, completely enamoured with the musical proclivities, lyrical themes, and vocal capabilities that the band displayed, I can say that 11 years later, this new album is in no way a disappointment. Andy Deane (the vocalist and lyricist) shows that he is still fully capable of spinning haunting narratives with songs like "In the Dirt" and "Eternal", and vocally his performance is astounding. Already a singer well-capable of evoking emotion from any listener, "Burn the Sky" and others show how he really has expanded his range, style, and capabilities. Micah Consylman rises supernally above expectations with both the engineering of the album and with the synths he provided. Songs like "Burn the Sky", "Buried Within", and "Nine Hours" show the versatility of this truly invaluable part of the band. The guitar work by Tony Lechmanski also has a great range, from the foundation-driving, dirge-like riffs in "Fade Like A Song" to some very colorful solos in songs like "One Thousand Days" and "Black Seas Collide", and the same can be said of Tony Pugh with his bass playing, the foundation present through the entire album. Drums being programmed as opposed to actually played, that in no way detracts from the overall product. The drums are still strong as ever (and sound convincingly realistic). As a band that began with programmed drums, this aspect could not possibly disappoint this listener. Live drummer or machine, the drums will always provide what's needed and sound amazing doing it.

Yes, "Beautiful Death" is a masterpiece. All that Bella Morte has come to represent is present. Who they were, who they are, and who they are appearing to be - this album enwraps all the sentiments and all the tendencies loved by Bella Morte fans, and it also includes so much more. If you don't have it, get it! That's all there is to it.

It has been a long journey for this do-it-yourself band. I have been a fan since I heard Funeral Night on the Unquiet Grave compilation back in 1998. I have followed BM from their straight-up goth days (Remains/Where Shadows Lie) to their Death Rock/electronic days (The Quiet/As The Reasons Die), and their diverse masterpiece Bleed The Grey Skies Black. With Beautiful Death, Bella Morte dares to be mainstream, and not only suceeds, but makes all the boring identical major label bands sound even more forgettable than they were to begin with. Andy Deane has always been a great singer, but on Beautiful Death his range has truly expanded. His style will always be goth, but he has a great pop sensibility on this record. Synth player Micah Consylman engineered the whole album himself and his synth work on the album is very cutting edge, while still maintaining a great retro feel. The songs on Beautiful Death are short and to the point. All of BM's past styles are here rolled into one. Burn The Sky, Eternal, and Black Seas Collide are great dramatic rockers, while Can't Let This die has the hard riffs recognizable from Bleed The grey Skies Black. Their drummer Jordan left before this album was made so most of the drums on this album are programmed again, but it sounds perfect. Find Forever Gone, the obvious single is a great track with awesome synth. The album ends with Nine Hours, an instrumental piano ballad reminding everyone that Bella Morte will always have their roots in goth. If you get a chance to see them live dont miss out. They put all their blood, sweat, and heart into what they do. I saw them in Seattle this year and they wasted no time setting up and then rocking out. Andy Deane is one of the nicest frontmen you'll ever meet. Beautiful Death is an achievement that I hope will bring this band to nationwide attention. They deserve it.

Quality release

PS: Co-founder and original bass player Gopal Metro left the band last year and was replaced by Tony Pugh

Bella Morte's newest, the quasi-eponymous Beautiful Death, is pretty amazing. it's still Bella despite Gopal Metro's absence and now former drummer Jordan Marchini being missing, but it's also kind of strangely different in a way i can't put my finger on, which is good. the new album's sound kind of goes back to Remains and Where Shadows Lie when the band's stuff was more homogeneous and less eclectic like their last few albums were, while still moving forward into new territory and improvement. and like the early stuff, Beautiful Remains is darker than the last couple albums, pushing the heaviness of Songs for the Dead and much of Bleed the Grey Sky Black. all the songs are super solid, they all feel satisfyingly dense, i think In The Dirt and Buried Within are my new favorites.

Beautiful Death is definitely Bella Morte's best stuff, and it gets better and better with every listen. before this, whenever i'd encounter somebody not familiar with Bella Morte, i was never certain of what album to introduce them to first, since every one is great and yet so different, it was impossible for me to choose a good entry point besides starting at the beginning with Remains (or a mix CD, hehheh). but now, Beautiful Death is the one i'll be recommending for new folks to get into.

Just bought this Cd as mutual friends were always trying to get me to listen to this band. Im sorry that ive left it so long. Their haunting lyrics mixed with their electronic influences is both clever and thought provoking im a definate fan now and wont leave it so long before i buy anymore of their music

Bella Morte has constantly changed their sound with every album they've created, and why shouldn't they? Isn't that what being an artist is all about? The album Beautiful Death stands true to the constant transformation of Bella Morte. It feels that Bella Morte have figured out what works and what doesn't work for them and have used this knowledge towards their advantage in creating Beautiful Death. Beautiful Death takes elements from past albums that have worked so well and combines them with new ones that make Beautiful Death truly stand out from the rest. Catchy guitar riffs and sing-a-longablity elements from albums such as As the Reasons Die, Where Shadows Lie, and Bleed the Sky Grey can be heard on Find Forever Gone, Can't Let This Die and Black Seas Collide. Ending Beautiful Death with Nine Hours, an instrumental track, brings back memories from very early albums such as Remains, and The Quiet. Music goers and fans old or new will not be disappointed with this album. Beautiful Death is an amazing album to add to your music collection.

Beautiful Death, Bella Morte's 7th studio album, can only be described as the ultimate culmination of the band's lengthy career. Consisting of 11 tracks for a total of just under 40 minutes, the album takes the listener on a whirlwind of emotion, combining haunting melodies and driving beats with singer Andy Deane's tremendous vocals. Songs such as "Burn the Sky" and "In the Dirt" showcase his range, and the keyboards in "Buried Within" bring to mind Micah's riffs from Where Shadows Lie. If something as short as 39 minutes can be described as Epic, then Beautiful Death is truly that. I look forward to hearing what the boys from C'ville have in store for us in the future!,

I have been a fan of Bella Morte for almost a decade now, and I have to say that this is my favorite album from the boys in years. You owe it to yourself to buy a copy if you like pure, unadulterated musical excellence. I'm hearing a lot of the older style vocals from Remains and Where Shadows Lie, but the harder music from As the Reasons Die and Bleed the Grey Skies Black is still there.

I honestly cannot recommend this album enough!

as california's biggest Bella Morte fan (yup....it's me), i was on pins and needles anticipating the new album's release. i was fortunate enough to have Andy (lead singer of BM) let me listen to a few tracks off his iPod during their last tour. i was thrilled to be able to hear snippets, but still knew i couldn't truly *take in* the album until i had my own copy. well, that day has come and gone; i've probably listened to it about a dozen times or so - i really wanted to experience the album....numerous times. having done so, i can now competently render my verdict: it's hauntingly epic! i was/am terribly pleased with how the new record turned out - surpassing even my own expectations. Andy's own descriptions of it were: the band's desire for (total) cohesion, as well as the (full) use of Andy's range as a singer. i believe they have accomplished this, and then some. aesthetically, it's a wonderous combination of the darkness of The Quiet and the raw, live-intensity of Bleed The Grey Sky Black. while i was initially quizical as to the length of every song (around 3:30/ea), i've come to realize that none need be longer, and it only adds to the albums cohesion. while i knew right away that the adjective "epic" was fitting for the new album, i still felt it lacked something (the characterization, not the record); then today it hit me: "haunting." to me, hauntingly epic is the perfect description of Beautiful Death. in addition, i feel this album could be considered the new quintessential epoch for contemporary gothic music. i've always been an enormous fan of the use of keyboards in (gothic) music, and for that element to be brought more to the forefront was tremendously fulfilling for me. -- Bella Morte is one of the best bands out today, and my personal favorite. Beautiful Death is a monumental triumph for the band, and should be regarded by all as such. if you're a fan of gothic music, or just plain *rock*, do yourself a favor: get to an appropriate website and purchase this album. it will no doubt enhance any music lover's collection.

In 2006 I heard a wonderful album from this band which was Bleed the Grey Sky Black. It was awesome. This album is just as good. I cant wait for them to come to town so I can see them live..........THEY RULE

This new cd is pretty amazing. If you have been with Morte for a while, this cd will remind you of the Where Shadows Lie days, with some of the heaviness they explored on Bleed the Grey Skies Black. The songs are much more to the point, addictive, the kind of album you play two or three times in a row. The arrangements are also much more epic in scope, with Andy's best vocal performance to date.