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Traditions vs. Modern Day Values. - 80%
The female market is booming. Female metal musicians and vocalists are highly sought after in the industry and seemingly add to the appeal of the band when a female member is present. Although I’m not a fan of female influences on vocal expressions, usually anyway, I have no problem with the inclusion of women in the industry, or otherwise. The expanding nature of this genre that we all know and love is what makes it exciting. A decade or so ago, female vocalists weren’t in high demand and didn’t play much of a significant role in the foundations of metal. Nowadays, things have changed and in terms of this French outfit, Lethian Dreams, one can only see this alteration as a positive. This French act, like many bands these days, have utilized the emotive values and subtleties that the female vocal expression brings to the foreground. Lethian Dreams, who have connections to better known bands like Before The Rain and Remembrance, are an act who conjure images of beauty wrapped in a subtle sadness, draining the emotion out of the audience and rising like a phoenix from the ashes to surround the soundscapes that they delve in to. To me, this record is a back to basics outing. Delicious ambience, repetition and a slow seduction is what this piece has to offer it’s adoring audience in it’s pursuit of dominance.
Unlike most of the doom metal acts these days, Lethian Dreams stick to traditional methods in order to best explore the soundscapes that embody this record. Layered guitars, featuring a particularly stunning dual performance, varied vocals and trudging and entrancing atmospheres. As stated, the appeal of male and female intertwining vocal exploits is something so many metal fans seem to love these days. Mainstream metal bands, like Lacuna Coil, have produced performances that have been seen as dazzling, in terms of the interchanging vocals, which acts as an example of the appeal of this type of work. I can appreciate the efforts of most types of vocals, even those I don’t particularly enjoy hearing, but I must say I am glad to hear that Lethian Dreams haven’t included typically operatic vocals. The performance of Carline Van Roos is a noteworthy positive. Not only does she sing on the record, entitled ‘Requiem For My Soul, Eternal Rest For My Heart’, but she also puts in a performance on bass, guitar, keyboards and even programming. This multi-talented musician is a true asset to Lethian Dreams and one they must keep hold of, at any cost, in the future. Her presence is felt throughout the record and transforms ‘Requiem For My Soul, Eternal Rest For My Heart’ from an average outing, to a particularly good outing. An important factor, which may be overlooked, that makes this record an above average record is the production. Although it’s not entirely unique, it’s bleak soul which surrounds the soundscapes like dense, thick fog is perfect.
Although the male vocals, performed primarily by Carlos D'Agua, are the main focus of the vocal exploits, the clean and emotionally stunning female vocals, which are also clean, are the best addition of this record, in terms of vocals. Carlos D'Agua and Matthieu Sachs, who performs additional duties on vocals, are both talented and adept to adhering to the atmospheric doom metal scene, Carline Van Roos sets in stone her vocal performance as one of the better female performances on a metal record. Her voice, although unique, doesn’t try to outdo itself. She performs within her abilities and justifiably earns a credible mention for creating much of the agonizing beauty that is the atmospheric nature of ‘Requiem For My Soul, Eternal Rest For My Heart’. There are occasions, particularly on ‘In Seclusion’, when Lethian Dreams sound like the olden day Anathema, when they performed within the doom metal scene. The textures and tones of the guitars, most notably, remind me of Anathema. Even the clean male vocals remind me of the clean vocals employed on the old Anathema records. The way in which the creatively slow churning riffs can exchange one emotion for another from one second to another is brilliant. The varied soundscapes, which tap in to beauty, pain and sorrow are authentic and according to the lyrical themes, the instrumentation is perfectly suited to the lyrics, which aren’t available. Although it has an overly obvious repetitious nature, a rather clichéd male vs. female vocal dual and traditional values, this effort is breath taking in a subtle way.
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Not bad, but lacks diversity - 63%
sashkello, December 21st, 2017
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From the first track, and all the way to the end, it reminds of the early Theater of Tragedy. Very similar sound, as well as some melodic progressions, even vocals sound familiar. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as ToT were really great and many people miss their early gothic-doom era.This work by Lethian Dreams is very clean, very good quality. Sound is nice and dense, though a bit too light, even in comparison with ToT, so doom metal fans will definitely find it lacking depth. The songs are good, yet too similar to each other. You never notice when the next one starts as they are just very alike, in everything from tempo to some melodic elements. This feels like a very lightened doom metal album, which focuses more on atmosphere than melodies, however failing to rid of the repetitiveness of traditional doom metal. I mean, if you are going to make it more accessible to a wider audience, lighting up the sound is just not enough, some more apparent melodies are due. In doom metal, atmosphere is very important, it is almost dark ambient in its purpose, but here it lacks, and there is no melodic component to replace it and keep your attention.
In general, I quite like how the album sounds, and all the tracks are not bad, yet not memorable. This is the first album by this band I listened to, and I hope they will develop their song writing skills and bring us something more exciting. I will keep checking them out, as it is clear these guys do have the potential to significantly improve.
Bleak Silver Streams Of My Own Tears, Indeed! - 72%
The Reaper of Souls, January 4th, 2013
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France has been really doing things right over the last few years in regards to metal, as many new (and very good) metal bands have been sprouting up from the underground to make an individualistic and original name for themselves. And, Lethian Dreams is a band that deserves your attention if you call yourself a mega doom metal fan. To start, this is a very long record, with every song being at least 8 minutes or longer, with a grand total of just under an hour of some of the bleakest music laid down on tape. Just be prepared to go on an epically sad and miserable journey with this band, for they set out to drain every tear from your eyes with their brand of doom. Set the mood right by playing this record to the accompaniment of an overcast, rainy day.This band is definitely all about creating the perfect atmosphere with their very slow, melancholic music filled with an added amount of misery and sadness coming out of Carline's vocal passages. Her vocal approach makes this music lean more toward the gothic side of the doom spectrum. There are harsh vocals sprinkled here and there in some of the tracks as well, that for me give the music that very appealing death metal tinge I am such a fan of. Also, Matthieu's guitar playing is very heavy, precise and complimented with several gorgeous solos throughout each track to really drive home this bleak outlook on life to the listener. His lead work on this record is very captivating to me and it really makes my heart fill with great emotion.
I am not a huge fan of programmed drums, (in this case they are particularly very basic, practically nonexistent, and even kind of boring) yet they are overshadowed by the beautiful guitars, bass and that incredibly sad, angelic voice. Maybe this was a purposeful choice of the band to use the drums in this fashion to really make the music sad, but for me, I would like to have seen a real drummer used here. Say for instance, someone with the skills of Stuart Springthorpe to give the music a bit more organic feeling with a bit stronger heartbeat. But I suppose a superb drummer of his caliber is very hard to come by.
Another negative characteristic of this music to some may be that the music kind of all sounds the same song after song. Those who are not as heavily into the extreme side of doom metal like that of the "funeral doom" tempos may all together quickly turn away from this record. But for me, I say don't quickly turn your volume knob down and give this record a fighting chance because I feel in the right setting that this music is very therapeutic. It calms the stress that may be present in you after a long day at the office. And I recommend reading the lyrics to these songs because they are smart and give a real insight into what the band was trying to convey during the recording of this record. And with many listens to this record you will see this is definitely not a copycat, cookie cutter doom band! They offer up some crafty originality in this very crowded genre. Standout tracks would have to be the album's opener, "Elusive", the album closer, "For a Brighter Death" and my personal favorite, "Under Her Wings".
To sum things up, this is by far not my most favorite doom record, but I feel there is enough good things about this record to make it worth your time to give it a serious listen and add to your doom collection! There is far more, good that outweighs the bad. If you like bands such as Draconian, The River, Warning, Remembrance or say Shape of Despair then this might be worth your while to go out and purchase.
Cheers and doom onward!!!
Good Bad Atmosphere - 83%
menkalinan, March 26th, 2010
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Doom metal genre made its popularity through good atmosphere and making bad mood looks good became its trademark. For all those human beings that like this bad mood, Lethian Dreams may offer something of interest. I have discovered this band by searching for some good melodic doom/death, something that would resemble Saturnus and Officium Triste, and for the time being I am satisfied with this band although it is very different from the two mentioned bands. On the good side, they sound very original. Its all about the atmosphere - sad, gloomy, desperate sounds fill the room with the first tones of the Bleak Silver Streams. You can feel what the word depressed means. Melodies have only one purpose - to express deep inner pains and struggles which just wont come out. For all those people that like that sort of music, this is a real thing. If you don't like melodic doom and good atmosphere metal and expect strong heavy sound, don't bother to even try.Vocals are what makes this album going. Sad female voice of Carline van Roos is dominant and makes stronger impact than growling male vocal (which is by the way also good). Combined female singing, death growls and recitals make them a typical atmospheric doom metal band; originality comes with the way they do that. Guitars are slow, heavy and several guitar solos show that guitarist really know what they are doing. Drums are on the other hand uninteresting and I think that if they were missed on this album that no one would notice that. However the overall impact is good, the intended atmosphere is created and listeners can participate in the inner struggles of the band.
Now, the bad part. Despite the good, I would dare say minimalistic melody, this album remains in a way monotonous. If you are not into doom moods, this may prove irritating. Song 'For a Brighter Death' stands out as a little different than others, but even with that song I say 'little'. It is a shame that after all that good effort their songs resemble each other that much. From 'Elusive' to 'For a Brighter Death' you have a feeling that you are listening for the same song. Changes come (yes there are variations in their songs), but they are as much part of the songs itself than of the album. This is why I don't regard them as 'one of the best' of the genre.
Nevertheless, for all lovers of the atmospheric doom genre I would recommend this album as something that definitely have to be heard. Bleak Silver Steams has its catch.
Quoth the raven: Season of my words - 95%
Arkanus, December 21st, 2015
Written based on this version: 2012, CD, Orcynia Records (Digipak)
For ten years Lethian Dreams were making music as a duo, trusting the basic characteristics of doom, and adding some ingredients, like soft synthesizers, to produce an ambient sound. In a certain point, these French musicians, found a better idea to express their music with originality, and that idea was suitable for the talent Carline Van Roos has. They stopped using harsh vocals and started to rely on landscapes made from pure instrumental mixtures.In 2012, they release their first album with the new ideas, and they conceived a real hidden jewel. They took their time to write notes and words perfect for the mood the band wanted to convey, not thinking of technical difficulties or memorable instrument playing, which is not common in doom metal either. Fortunately, they know what they are requested to do in order to fulfill a certain aspect in a determined song, and they do not fail at it. Every sound is heard clearly and in its precise moment. Even guitars are felt to be weeping at different stages of this LP, in clean tones behind the suitable distortion. Voices do not hurry to appear or to show the sadness they want to communicate, but they seem to be shy and naturally sorrowful, like a sad child who is forced to speak.
“Season of Raven Words” is full of long songs, but none of them is longer than they should be, and are beautifully arranged and connected sometimes by a couple of instrumental interludes. These interludes deserve their own mention. They are perfectly conceived, and take the listener to a different level among the rest of the songs. As you feel depressed and cold with the long ones, “See” and “Invisible” grab you from the neck, stop your breath and leave you alone at the top of a gorge freezing in the mist accompanied by the sound of a black sea. They are as good as the rest of the songs in the album. The female ethereal voice seems to be made for these sounds, but they are not overwhelmed by the amount of grief expected to bear. In a lot of cases, bands fail to share this burden among the different instruments including the voice, leaving one or two of them sustaining the complete pillar of the musical intention. Lethian Dreams, however, succeeds in being one unit to let you know that this “season” affects anyone.
After one listening, it is difficult not to fall in love with the atmospheric embrace of sadness the band feels at the creation of this beautiful piece of work. Songs like “Wandering” and “Raven” teach how to use voice when depressing someone is the objective and the entire album hits in its aim; making your day grey. For people who enjoy melodic music and appreciate the language of instruments, this is a jewel.
Lacks variation, but it has its moments - 71%
Drequon, August 8th, 2015
This french power trio made something of a name for themselves in the gothic/doom scene with 2009's "Bleak Silver Stream", a well-regarded debut that seemed to be a strong promise of things to come. But Lethian Dreams never really made any effort to step out of the underground (not a bad thing, perhaps) and "Red Silence Lodge" (the 'difficult third album') came out in an almost DIY fashion. Their subgenre of choice have been short on surprises recently, so it's perfectly possible that Lethian Dream's serious and competent approach to all things bleak will string the right chord among the admirers of such aesthetics.
The atmosphere is eerie and filled with melancholy, with a mostly constant drive and (very beautiful) female vocals adding something of an ethereal feel to the compositions. They want their music to conjure a pathway for the listener's imagination to travel on, and it's fair to say they create moments of pure contemplative beauty. I for one really enjoyed songs such as "Dust" (where some nice guitar fingering nicely contrast with the doomy instrumentation), "Midwinter" (slightly more concise and perhaps the most dynamic track here), "Leaving Light" (the only song that actually speeds up a little) and the title-track, which is a very accomplished piece of songwriting indeed.
But I have to say that the lack of musical variation makes "Red Silence Lodge" a record for few to savour, as even less dedicated gothic/doom listeners may wish it was a bit more harsh and/or souped-up in places. Sometimes the vocal lines are quite interchangeable as well and there's almost no genuine riffs to be found, as the guitar work is more about chords and leads than anything more complex or engaging. I'm not a scholar of course and perhaps I'm missing the point completely, but sometimes I wholeheartedly feel the songs need something else, like the compositions are gearing up for something that just never happen. After listening to the first couple songs, you already know all the elements Lethian Dreams are going to bring to the table, and there's no surprises left to be found until the album is over.
It's not to say that "Red Silence Lodge" is a failure (far from that, actually, as my sincere rating comes to show), but it's not a CD I'm going to listen to on a weekly basis, as there's not much in it to really make me want to come back. Repeated listens will sure reward those who love doom metal with huge gothic/romantic influences, but those less familiar with the genre are advised to proceed with caution here.
