AFM Records (2012)

In 2010 the debut album from Sweden’s The Murder Of My Sweet “Divanity” burst on the scene with their brand of female fronted gothic hard rock- including chart topping singles in their home country and numerous festival appearances. Now the difficult process comes to impress audiences again with the follow up- especially when two new members enter the fold like guitarist Christopher Vetter and bassist Teddy Westlund. The songwriting skills of keyboardist/drummer Daniel Flores plus the powerful presence of vocalist Angelica Rylin remain intact, so now plunge forward into this 13 song recording.

How do you separate yourself from the Evanescence, Within Temptation , and Nightwish style bands? In the case of songs like “Unbreakable” and “Idolize”, you take the keyboards into a decidedly 80’s Eurythmics/Real Life direction to bring out Angelica’s aural friendly melodies. Or as a band you begin looking for deeper symphonic heaviness that builds tension against the guitar parts to create outstanding results on “Violently Peaceful” and pulsating “Black September”. Some of the grooves go for the obvious Sevendust/ Disturbed hooks and squeals- the closing 6:19 “Phantom Pain” and “Fallen” drive this point home- but I actually enjoy the epic “Resurrection” with its heart-beat monitor keyboard line as the layers of guitars, keyboards, bass and drums give you a journey into soul wrenching music straight from the heart.

“Bye Bye Lullaby” won’t be in the running for the most original take on symphonic gothic rock. Daniel Flores writes to the strengths of Angelica’s multi-octave range- and the hook factor is the key to listening enjoyment. In the end, The Murder Of My Sweet provide an easy to ingest album, which should appease those who look for grandiose soundscapes in a commercial setting.

www.themurderofmysweet.com
www.afm-records.de

Rating: 4 / 6

Composed by Matt Coe