Customer Reviews

Perpetual Desolation

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Okay, the cd is so incredible, it is easily one of the best in my collection. Some have written this off as a cheap rip off of such bands as Theatre of Tragedy or Tristania, but if you listen, there is much more talent than Theater, and Tristania recently is more industrial goth sounding. For example, Theater of Tragedy does no double bass drumming, but in some tracks on Perpetual Desolation the double bass ranks with Satyricon as far as speed(if you dont know what im talking about, listen to "A Tormented Soul"). If you havent heard the music I would reccomend going to the bands... and listening to the samples there. The Sins of Thy Beloved are extremely talented but go about showing there talent in a very delectable and beautiful manner. The only band that i would consider better is Opeth, for obvious reasons. If you are a conniseur of goth metal or just curious about it, this is a great cd to buy, it is sorrowful and beautiful goth at its finest.Absolutely fantastic.

Whilst I loved Lake Of Sorrow, the album at times was frustrating with its simplicity and repetition. The Sins Of Thy Beloved make up for it here, delivering a hyper-energetic album that constantly ups the stakes. Interestingly enough, whilst on the first album a couple of songs outstayed their welcome, the only tracks I have a problem with on this release are the short ones, so maybe there's no pleasing me. Once again, Pete Johansen is on deck with his violin, and as always, anything he touches turns to gold. Whilst his contributions to Tristania and Sirenia are limited, TSOTB give him free reign to unleash his musical prowess. Fans of other gothic-metal acts like Tristania (growly male vocals coupled with siren-like female singing and nicely melodic songs) should love this album. At times, though, I think that there are actually a few too many ideas in each song, and they don't always seem to achieve the perfect balance that Tristania often have (can I mention Tristania again?). The production could have done with more low end noise, as the sound is a bit too trebly at times - interesting considering the same producer worked on the Sirenia album. The Thing That Should Not Be cover is interesting also, mainly due to the fact that Pete plays the solo on (what seems to be) an electric violin.

First of all I noticed there are three tracks missing on the tracklist here:

Nebula Queen

The Mournful Euphony (one of the best tracks on the CD)

Tormented Soul

The music on this album is almost impossible to describe. It's basically (comparably) slow goth metal with a mix of angel like female voices and scary male vocals of all types. Everything carried by heavy guitars and a lot of power.

What makes this album stand out is the beauty and emotional intensity of the harmonies and melodies (with lots of beautiful violin solos) as well as the very unique musical landscape out of synthesizers, strings and other orchestral and medieval instruments. Many tracks feel very epic leading from very aggressive parts through sad and depressing as well as beautifully floating themes. It is indescribable.

I don't know how that Metallica cover (The Thing That Should Not Be) made it on the CD. It is kind of cool in TSOTBs sound, but it is very boring compared to their own compositions. Though it took me a little to get into it (especially since the scary male vocals seem very extreme in times) all of a sudden I developed an addiction to this CD like I never experienced it with any other music.

If you can handle the sorrow (and it really makes you sad in times) and like goth metal in general, do not miss out on this CD. The many themes and melodies of this album are always floating through my head, even when the CD player is off. The sound and production is outstanding.

After a first listen, all that I can say (or at least all that I can hope to get printed here) is "wow." This CD has all of the power that anyone who has listened to TSOTB's first CD "Lake of Sorrow" would expect, but is also more refined, more creative and simply rocks. Add to that a cover of Metallica's "The Thing That Should Not Be" that is sheer genious, and you have an album that any fan of TSOTB or Theatre of Tragedy (or metal in general) will enjoy. This one is a must-have!

I've recently discovered the whole Goth metal/B&B (Beauty and Beast) genre so popular in Europe at present. To my ears, the best of the lot is still After Forever (their CD Decipher is nothing short of mesmerizing). But one of the best of the rest is The Sins of Thy Beloved, the Norwegian band featuring the haunting vocals of Ingfrid Stensland.

What sets Sins apart is the use of violins and lush keyboards over the top of crushing - yet melodic -- guitar riffs. The juxtaposition of the violin with the electric guitar, although done many years before by King Crimson and others, is effective on Perpetual Desolation. Haunting, in fact.

Actually, "haunting" is a word I'd use to describe most of what I hear on Perpetual Desolation. Of course it's melancholy. It's supposed to be. That's the kind of music it is. But they've also added an element of wistfullness that goes over and above the norm even for this genre.

My favorite two songs are the first two: "The Flame of Wrath" and "Forever," although the former features way too many of those growling, demonic male vocals for my tastes (yeah, I know it's also part of the genre).

"Pandemonium," track three, begins with an onslaught of growling male vocals that sound like they're from the pit of hell. Thankfully, the angelic female vocals enter shortly thereafter to lighten the doom and gloom.

The rest of Perpetual Desolation follows the formula laid down by the first 2-3 tracks. You get more of the same, in different configurations (they add piano to "Partial Insanity," track four). That's not necessarily bad. But it's not terribly exciting, either.

The Sins of Thy Beloved differs from, say, After Forever in that Sins seems to have a more limited range of expression. They have a certain sound that they stick to closely. Plus, Ingfrid Stensland is no Floor Jansen. (In fact, no singer is like Floor Jansen of After Forever; she has the best voice you're likely to find anywhere.) Whereas After Forever is a brilliant combination of light and dark, Sins seems to focus more on the dark.

If you're prone to this kind of music, you might want to give The Sins of Thy Beloved a try. As my headline states, this CD gets better with every listen. I doubt it'll ever be a five-star CD for me, but it may creep up to a four-star if I listen to it long enough.

Combine one part goth with two parts death metal with two parts of progression and what do you get? The Sins of thy Beloved. This is death metal. It has death metal vocals. But it is also light and beautiful as it has beautiful female vocals as well and also their is an excellent violinist who lets it all out on a lot of the tracks. When a bunch of talent comes together, you know it has to rock!

Pick up this album today.....

In the trio of Norwegian doomdeath bands - Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania, and The Sins of Thy Beloved - The Sins of Thy Beloved is definitely third in quality (if one excludes from view Theatre of Tragedy's terrible "Musique" album). "Perpetual Desolation" combines the usual elements: innocent-sounding soprano vocals, aggressive male growls, somber keyboards, heavy guitars. The distinguishing feature is the omnipresent violin. In my view the violin's performance is the most appealing aspect of this disc - ironically, it is played by a guest musician, not a band member. The violin melodies are actually mostly folkish, though still melancholy, recalling (a morose) Skyclad more than My Dying Bride or Celestial Season.

The keyboard plays harmonies reminiscent of black metal: early Arcturus, Bathory, early Emperor; a piano occasionally breaks into something more virtuosic. The guitars are even less active, basically acting solely in a rhythm capacity and lacking the melodicism of, say, Theatre of Tragedy's "Velvet Darkness They Fear." The harsh vocals, frequently a high-pitched black metal shriek, tend to dominate the music, making The Sins of Thy Beloved the most "brutal" of the Norwegian Three.

The lyrics are decidedly mediocre, attempting to sound archaic and gothic but falling flat because of poor English: "My urge of virulence increases"; "Dark perversive (sic) powers he witness (sic)".

Songs like the title track and "Nebula Queen" stand out in quality, but for most people this album is a marginal purchase.

this is great music, I highly recommend this cd! and any of their other ones.

Anita Auglend is as beautiful, angelic and powerful as any female fronting any metal band in the world. The band itself has an awesome sound: blazing guitars, booming bass... and a gorgeous, creative violin!!!

I love Therion. They are really in a class by themselves. But Sins of Thy Beloved are as stimulating and satisfying as any of the runners-up. Sure they have the growl male Beast vocals (which I dont care for either) but for the most part I can mentally put him in the background with the all the rest that is going on.

PLUS... check out Anita's MySpace and she turned me on to VOLBEAT. Not a female-fronted band but a great Retro (50s/60s) Punk Metal band.

From the first time i listened to this album i was overwhelmed by the ambient it creates. Each song of the album fits in perfectly from start to end. The sound of the violin makes sadness flow naturally as the music reaches its climax, while Anita's beautiful voice drives you through this romantic and sombre journey. Enjoy it.