Long running Gothic-Metal act Flowing Tears have been preparing the follow-up to their “Razorbliss” record for over four years now, suggesting that something very special and carefully crafted was to be expected. Indeed, “Thy Kingdom Gone” sounds well-written and refined, practically with no flaws or loose ends, yet it’s nothing to be stunned by either considering it’s all been done before.Their fifth-full length work sees the Germans ditch the more electronic elements of “Razorbliss” in favour of a even more heavy and crisp approach and although they still touch some of most common clichés of Female-Fronted-Gothic-Metal throughout these twelve themes, “Thy Kingdom Gone” sounds fairly enjoyable and successfully dodges way from the usual comparisons since it is more in tow with the sounds of Madder Mortem, Moonspell and Paradise Lost than Nightwish, Tristania or Within Temptation.
Perhaps it is Helen Vogt’s warmth and singular voice that makes the difference, instead of warbling like an ear-slicing Valkyrie she sings in a deep, dark and rich timbre that is highly seductive and gels extremely well with the memorable and heavy framework provided by the remaining band.
Every theme is crammed with catchy, thick riffs and some truly contagious harmonies that nod at Paradise Lost on some occasions, “Words Before You Leave” for example owns a lot to their “One Second” days with a similar use of those weeping guitar lines and gentler melodies. Worthy of note is also the title-theme for featuring Samael’s Vorph as guest musician, singing a duet with Helen Vogt in a piece that wouldn’t sound out of place in an album like “Eternal”.
All in all, “Thy Kingdom Gone” is a fairly competent affair from a band that clearly made an effort to do something a lot more interesting than the usual glut of Gothic-Metal kitsch existing nowadays. (7/10)
Band info: www.flowingtears.de
Label info: www.ascendancerecords.com
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