TIAMAT

(SWEDEN)

AMANETHES

(2008)
LABEL:

NUCLEAR BLAST

GENRE:

GOTHIC METAL

TAGS:
Low vocals, Melancholic
"At once melancholy, powerful and of a rare purity, "Amanethes" should reassure the fans of Tiamat which naturally regains its place among the leaders of the genre."
NOISE (20.06.2008)  
4/5
(0) opinions (0) comment(s)
"Amanethes" is the album of Tiamat's great comeback, after 5 long years of absence since the release of "Prey" in 2003. In the meantime, the group has experienced some torments. Indeed, in spite of good titles and undeniable qualities, "Prey" presented a group which hardly reinvented itself. The end of the contract with Century Media led to the release of the traditional compilation in 2007 and just before, the release of the excellent live DVD, "The Church Of Tiamat" (2006) which could almost have been considered as a testament. It is with a new label, Nuclear Blast, that Tiamat decided to relaunch itself to release in this year 2008 its new album "Amanethes". 

Just like its superb and provocative cover, the band seems to get back all its class, the one it had at the time of "Wildhoney" and "Deeper Kind Of Slumber". Because this "Amanethes" appears as a kind of synthesis of the band's career while proposing several small innovations on some tracks.

The album begins with an unstoppable hit, "The Temple Of The Crescent Moon", carried by a rather aggressive Edlund in death metal tones. The title, in the lineage of the good songs of "Prey" or "Judas Christ", happens to be a tasty mix between gothic sounds and atmospheric metal. Then follows "Will They Come", a rather slow track very romantic, carried by Edlund's voice which is always very comfortable in this gothic register, then "Lucienne", exactly in the same movement, with even lower voice except on the excellent chorus in which clear vocals emerge.

"Summertime Is Gone" then acts as a transition by bringing together all that the band knows how to do best, between gothic and atmospheric with a break in clear vocals to give the thrill. A transition to a more restrained style allowing "Amanethes" to stand out from previous productions of Tiamat. 

This change of register begins with "Misantropolis", a superb title all in nuance carried by very beautiful parts of keyboards and characterized by a splendid instrumental, followed by "Amanitis", supported by an acoustic riff seeming to come straight from Greece, and rhythmed by discrete percussions. The lull is concretized with "Meliae" in which the shadow of Pink Floyd hovers in the background, reminiscent of the Tiamat of the great era of "Wildhoney". This title is a superb ballad with vocals of a rare softness and is again carried by superb female voices. Tiamat will then drive the nail in with "Circles", a ballad brought by violins and feminine vocals as discreet as subtly brought, in which Thomas Wyreson will ensure a superb aerial solo and which simply asserts itself as the best track of the album and maybe even one of the most beautiful of the band's career. 

With this album, at once melancholic, powerful and of a rare purity, Tiamat should reassure its fans of its vitality and inspiration, and naturally find its place among the leaders of the genre.
- Official website

TRACK LISTING:
01. The Temple Of The Crescent Moon
02. Equinox Of The Gods
03. Until The Hellhounds Sleep Again
04. Will They Come?
05. Lucienne
06. Summertime Is Gone
07. Katarraktis Apo Aima
08. Raining Dead Angels
09. Misantropolis
10. Amanitis
11. Meliae
12. Via Dolorosa
13. Circles
14. Amanes

LINEUP:
Anders Iwers: Basse
Johan Edlund: Chant / Guitares / Claviers
Lars Sköld: Batterie
Thomas Wyreson: Guitares
   
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