Flowing Tears

Razor Bliss
Magick Records/Century Media

The very first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the back cover of the CD case was Lacuna Coil. The layout of the song titles, even the titles themselves, all hinted towards the more famous band. They're on Century Media as well, and both of these bands have a song called "Unspoken". I'm not going to assume anything, for doing so would be un-wise, but the coincidences are striking.

It wouldn't be a big deal if it weren't for that fact that Flowing Tears' music also sounds quite a bit like Lacuna Coil. Everything from the female-driven vocals, to the weird and catchy keyboard intros, to the heavy and somewhat Gothy feel to the music. Of course these two bands aren't the only ones who sound like this (Evanescence comes to mind, but I don't dare equate them with either Flowing Tears nor Lacuna Coil), but I make the comparison because Lacuna Coil is the most popular of this style on Century Media.

I will now digress into the technicalities. Flowing Tears does manage to come up with some seriously catchy hooks, but I find that they just don't stick they way I'm sure the band intended them to. Also, quite a few of their songs are pretty down-tempo, which lends a great deal to their Gothic feel. They manage to utilize the fairly formulaic song structures to good effect, but ultimately I think they fall a little short of where they're aiming. I would like to point out that the keyboard intro on "Ballad Of A Lonely God" is especially haunting. Also, vocal-wise, there are hardly any harsh sections at all. It's mostly just clean female singing, with the exception of a male guest vocalist on "Believe" and raspy sections on a couple of other tracks.

Overall, this is a great disc to throw on if you're going to be doing something that requires some attention, like writing or cleaning the house. I don't think it's much suited for recreational listening, however, because the hooks just aren't sharp enough to grab and retain your attention. You would be much better off grabbing Lacuna Coil's famous release "Comalies" if you're looking for a collection of riveting and hook-crazy pieces. If you just have some loose cash, or if you are a big fan of this band or their respective genre, then buy it immediately. You'll undoubtedly love it.

Stu Patterson