For My Pain...

Fallen

Written by: PP on 08/06/2009 15:46:11

For My Pain are a Finnish gothic metal supergroup consisting of three members of Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Reflexion-vocalist Juha Kylmänen, Embraze guitarist Lauri Tuohimaa and last but not least the legendary Nightwish keyboardist/songwriter Tuomas Holopainen. I'm not sure if gothic metal can even have a super group, but if there is one, then this group of artists would certainly be a candidate. So far their discography consists of just their debut album "Fallen" released in 2003, which is now being re-issued six years later for wider European distribution. So you could say that For My Pain is mostly a side-project for the guys in it, which is a bit of a shame considering how well the album fares in the gothic genre.

The reason why "Fallen" works better than most releases in the genre is because it sounds different. The high-pitch female vocals are only guesting on a couple of tracks to provide some contrast, but for the most part we're treated to Juha Kylmänen's depression-filled, melancholic voice that gives the album a darkened atmosphere (though not blackened, I might add). The way he plays off the typical Children Of Bodom-inspired keyboard melodies and crunchy, occasionally doom-paced guitars is brilliant, as the whole soundscape is now directly linked to words like misery, darkness, sadness and death, fitting nicely on the album's theme. A quick look at the song titles will confirm that this is exactly what the band are going for, titles like "My Wound Is Deeper Than Yours", "Queen Misery", "Bed Of Dead Leaves", "Tomorrow Is A Closed Gate (Dead For So Long"), "Killing Romance", and "Too Sad To Live" aren't exactly the definition of bright or joyous. Still, this doesn't mean that the choruses wouldn't be catchy. One listen to songs like "Dancer In The Dark" and especially "Autumn Harmony" and "Tomorrow Is A Closed Gate" immediately places these guys among the best in the genre, if they weren't there already with their own bands. Few bands are able to translate misery into melody this well or to convey utter desperation and pure sadness with such a calm expression. Job well done there.

More or less my only complaint about "Fallen" is that it's a tad bit too long with the three bonus tracks that come with this re-release. Already by track 10 your mood is deterioriting simply because this album's just so full of sadness that unless you're a goth, there's no way you can keep up the spirits while listening to Kylmänen's melancholic delivery: "I have been dead for so long... and no-one seems to care..I have been dead for so long...and no-one's gonna shed a tear". There's also a little bit of fluff in the middle, as songs like "Broken Days" and "Dead Carniwhore" in no way live up to the beginning and the end of the record. Other than that, this is a solid dark rock/gothic rock/metal album that definitely deserves a European release.

Download: Autumn Harmony, Tomorrow Is A Closed Gate, Queen Misery
For the fans of: Entwine, Eternal Tears Of Sorrow, Sinamore, Poisonblack
Listen: Myspace

Release date 05.04.2009
Spinefarm Records

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