Review by Allan on November 27, 2002.

Every record label needs some sort of an oddball band in their roster, and for Peaceville Records, Thine is their oddball. While Peaceville focuses on metal for the most part, Thine offer up melancholic rock. While the genre is completely flooded with derivatives of a derivative, it’s hard to not give Thine credit for doing what they do well, while still holding the identity that is much needed.

From the front cover of “In Therapy”, I could have sworn that this was some lost chronicle from the Moby sessions, but there was something menacing about the cover that caused me to think again. Upon listening to Thine’s follow-up to their debut album “A Town Like This”, I immediately noticed that they had an Anathema influence trailing behind them. I quickly put that behind me however, and as time went on, I noticed that Thine do bring with them something that you can identify only them by.

Thine offer you what most bands don’t – an album that is surprisingly honest in sound, and down to earth in character. Listening to it felt like listening to somebody’s life story in a sense, like Thine have nothing to hide from you. Each song has qualities that separate them from each other, in both mood and the make up of the riffs, drums, etc. It’s great to surprisingly come across a section that has a slight hint of newer Katatonia, then something that reminds you of U2. Throughout the influences, Thine still manage not to sound exactly like any of them.

Between all five of the members, only vocalist Alan Gaunt disappoints. I’m not disputing whether or not his vocals are well done, it’s only that his range, and moreover his tone, is somewhat limited, and thus doesn’t help out greatly when it comes to melodies. The guitars, however, are the backbone of the catchy melodies that are all over this album. They’re extremely well done, both the rhythm and the lead. When listening closely you also notice that there is some small detail that can be caught.

Lastly, I’m glad that Thine have made it a point to improve their abilities since “A Town Like This”, and it’s readily noticeable.

Bottom Line: On “In Therapy” Thine present an album that most people will be able to find comfort in, offering music that the listener will be able to identify with, whilst still holding a creative edge.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Luka on May 22, 2001.

I had no idea what Napalm records had in store for us with this band. As it turns out, the Austrian duo Dargaard are one of those "bands" that only consist of one or two members who just play around with synths in the studio, like Summoning or Ice Ages, both also on Napalm. I actually really like this type of metal, being a big fan of the two aforementioned bands, so I was delighted with Dargaard. A talented music composer, Tharen, (he’s from Austria, home of classical musicians!) and a minstrel with one of the most beautiful female voices in metal deliver a record that is as magnificent as it is unique in an age of mimicry.

Synths of all types of instruments from the harp to eerie church bells create strange songs that supposedly follow no order. They all have slightly similar patterns but all of them are so contrasted in the base instruments that they seem completely different.

The first song took me off guard and totally blew me away, "damn, this album is gonna rule!" I said and gladly found a nice place to relax, and fully focus on the godly opus that was to come. But no, of course, I was let down. While "Dark Horizons" had it all ("The Infinite" is an awesome track too), I was soon to find out that the rest of the songs were a more tame and lifeless breed. And here come the dreaded words... I was bored!! Not too much, actually, but the songs -are - quite repetitive, you really have to be in a somber and relaxed mood to enjoy them. And of the 11 tracks, I would consider only 7 actual songs, since the rest are short fillers.

To focus on the good things, and there are more of them, Dargaard’s music is absolutely spellbinding. I hope that didn’t sound pretentious after all the bringdowns, but I’m totally serious. This album has some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. Strange synths enchanted by Elisabeth Toriser’s angelic voice form songs that have the magnitude of the most majestic, passionate hymns. A song like "The Infinite" is completely timeless and rivals the finest musical compositions in the sheer emotion and feeling. Absolutely amazing songs here and there (the title track is great too) but doesn’t work that well as an entire album since the weaker songs lack emotion and somewhat reveal Dargaard’s writing formula, thus undermining the respect you originally held for the truly good songs.

Bottom Line: Beautiful and timeless hymns but by far not enough good songs to make this a masterpiece. Probably the best synth-based album I’ve ever heard.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10