Review by Adam M on November 29, 2014.

Liv Kristine goes for the gothic approach to solo singing with her new album. How does this attempt at the style stack up? Well it’s hard to compare this directly to gothic albums from the genre, but there are definitely some elements of bands like Paradise Lost and Type O Negative present in the singer’s sound.

The songs are straightforward, but incorporate this element of a brooding nature quite effectively. As a solo artist, the gothic nature of the music thus drives her sound. When the mood is captivating, the songs are bolstered into a more interesting territory. When it isn’t as interesting, the tracks tend to bog down in tedium a bit more. The gothic nature that also could encompass Tiamat is very important to these songs, yet Liv Kristine never matches any of the bands compared to here at their best moments.

The fact that this is a solo artist contributing to a sub-genre isn’t covered much under this style elevates the proceedings slightly. The other thing I’ve noticed with the album is that it’s very top-heavy, with its best moments coming towards the beginning of the work. Both of the two first tracks, My Wilderness and Love Decay are unbelievably catchy and set a high standard for the rest of the material that is difficult to top. On the next album by this artist, I would like to see a more balanced approach overall. The recent solo attempts by Anneke Van Giersbergen are only marginally better than this, but this is largely because of a more balanced overall approach.

The music here is very pleasant, yet at the same time dark, and makes for a good listen regardless. It also makes me want to go listen to Theatre of Tragedy, which is another positive.

Rating: 7 out of 10