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Interviews & reviews
The interviews and reviews on this page have been picked from here and there from the web, this means their 'correctness' cannot be guaranteed. When possible, sources are mentioned (though it may be possible some sources are not the very authentic ones).

INTERVIEWS | REVIEWS



Interview with Anita

Source: This website

This interview was done in April 2007.


Let’s start here where something else ended. About six years ago, in 2001, you decided to leave the band, according to some sources because of a lack of time and being tired of touring. Were this indeed the reasons that made you come to this decision? How do you look back on the time after you were the singer from TSOTB?

Yes, those reasons are true. I'm sure that a lot of people think that it was because the guys in the band and I had a disagreement, but we have always been good friends. At that time I felt like I had to make a change in my life. I was draged between the band an my personal life, so I chose my personal life. The time after I left has been quiet, I did one gig with the band about 2 years after I quit and that was great. I started to miss it then…

Recently, you decided to join the band again, at a point where not many people considered the band still very alive. Were it the screaming and begging fans which made you come back? They asked me if I’d be interested to start singing in the band again and I said yes.

What's the kind of music playing at your home?

At the moment it's Within Temptation, After Forever, Collective Souls, Kamelot, Ark, Jorn, Nigthwish, Iron Maiden, Wasp.............

Can you tell us a bit more about your favourite TSOTB album and song?

My favorite album is Perpetual Desolation, the song that's my favourite is The Mournful Euphony. I don't know why it's become my favourite, I just never get tired of it.

What’s your best and worst memory of touring? Do you like touring in general? If you were to choose one place to play in a concert, which place would it be?

My best memories are the concerts, all the energy I got from people. The worst memory must be the waiting, that's boring! I kind of like touring, but 21 days living in a bus was a challenge.

Is it really true that you never had any vocal education?

Yes that's true, I have never had a vocal coach.

What does your perfect holiday looks like?

My perfect holiday is when I'm not getting any phone calls from work :)

Can you come up with some movies and books you like?

Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ice age, Madagascar, The da Vinci Code...... When it comes to books I read everything!

What do you order at the restaurant?

PIZZA! I never get tired of it

How’s life in Norway? I don’t know what to say, I guess it's not very different from yours....

Back to business: we are 2007 now and TSOTB fans are worried concerning the future of the band. Can you tell them to have hope for a long term discography from the band?

Yes, there is hope for a long term discography:)

Lastly, do you have any final comments? A message for your fans or the rest of the world?

I would like to say to all of the fans who have been writing in the guestbook and forum: Thank you for your support!!!!!!!!!! That made my choice a lot easier.........




Interview with Ola

Source: http://members.tripod.com/~highday/sinsof.html

THE HIGHWIRE DAZE INTERVIEWS

Updated: 08/26/00

One of the most popular gothic metal bands in Europe right now, The Sins Of Thy Beloved are ready to take the rest of the planet under their magnetic spell. Based out of Norway, The Sins have just put out a chilling new work entitled Perpetual Desolation. Here’s a conversation I recently had with one of the Beloved Sinners…

HD: Tell me what you do in The Sins Of Thy Beloved and how long the band has been together.

Ola Aarrestad: I am the bass player and the band has together since December of 96, so about four years.

HD: Where is the band based out of and what is the music scene like there?

Ola: We come from the Western part of Norway on the West Coast. The music scene here is really great. You have a lot of great bands here.

HD: Where do you get the ideas for the songs?

Ola: It comes from our heads mainly. Nothing like inspirational stuff from poets or anything like that. The stuff just comes from ourselves.

HD: With so many people in the band, does songwriting or rehearsal ever become difficult to do?

Ola: No, actually we haven’t had any problems with the fact that we are so many in the band. When we are in rehearsal, everyone is there. I think the reason why we can make music together with so many members is because we talk so really well together. We have all known each other for so many years and are close friends – so I think that’s the reason why we don’t get into any of these big discussions. We mostly agree with each other.

HD: What is a live Sins show like for those of us who have yet to see you play?

Ola: The main thing is when we play live is that we try to play the songs and make them sound exactly the same as they are on the CD – without using any kind of sampling program. We try to play our own instruments – just like on the CD – and that’s why we have two keyboard players.

HD: Any chance of the Sins coming out here in the States to play?

Ola: Yeah, we have discussed this with Napalm Records America and there are some plans for us to come over and play some shows in America and in Mexico. I think it will be in the year 2001 sometime. We really want to come soon.

HD: Have you ever played out here before?

Ola: No, we haven’t been there – just in Europe.

HD: Have you ever had anything unusual happen during or at a live show?

Ola: No, nothing in particular. (laughs) Just some accidents with being drunk, I guess. Falling and stuff like that, but not any big things.

HD: Has the female vocalist had any vocal training at all?

Ola: No, she’s just been singing all of her life I guess.

HD: With Perpetual Desolation being such a complex album, what were some of the more difficult aspects in the recording process?

Ola: We didn’t have any big problems or difficulties in the studio. We just go in there with the material we have, record the drums, add and change some stuff, and it all went okay really.

HD: You didn’t have any problems with the violins or anything like that?

Ola: The violins was the easiest one to record. He’s a really great violin player – he can play anything in just one shot – and it sounds perfect. He’s been playing violin for 25 years.

HD: What made you guys decide to record the Metallica cover The Things That Should Not Be on the new album?

Ola: It was my idea. I’ve always been a fan of Metallica. Sometimes I take out my old Metallica CD’s and start listening to them. I thought how cool it would be to do a cover version of this song and how well it would suit our gothic style of playing music. So I suggested this to the other members, and they all agreed that it would sound cool. Then we didn’t do anything about it until we came into the studio and I mentioned it again. We decided to just play it in the studio and it turned out good.

HD: What are some of your favorite horror movies?

Ola: My favorite horror movie is The Exorcist, the first one.

HD: What are the future plans for Sins?

Ola: We have played some festivals and a tour that we just came back from. In August we have two more festivals – one in Belgium and one in Holland. Then we’ll come back home and start writing material for a new album.

HD: Do you have any messages for metal fans here in the States?

Ola: I want to give them my best regards and I sure hope they like the new album. And I also hope we can come over and play some shows in the States. That would be really cool to meet some of the American metal fans.



Interview with Glenn

Source: http://www.darkcalgary.com/articles/interviews/tsotb.html

Interview with Glenn Morten Nordbø of . . .
The Sins of thy Beloved


Interview By: Azriel K.

Azriel: Lets start off with a biggy, that everyone wants to know. What is the story of why Anita (former female vocalist) left TSOTB?

Glenn: She asked us if it was ok that she could leave the band cause she was realy tired of touring/travelling around, due to her work and releationships. And also that she's got other priorities now, She did not find it fun to be in a band and sing anymore, And she had almost no spare time when she was not working or playing with us. So we respected her wishes and let her go. And we are still close and very good friends.

Azriel: How did you find your new singer?

Glenn: A friend of ours knew her and put us in contact with her, Then she tryed out and we liked what we heard. And that's it. Nothing more then that.

Azriel: When will we get to see a new album out?

Glenn: Im haven't got any release date yet, But we'll start the recording in September and will spend 2 months in the studio. It might be out in December but im realy not sure, We'll just have to wait and see.

Azriel: What is the hardest part about being in TSTOB?

Glenn: Hardest part ??? Hell, I dont know. Everything is pure and simple bloody fun.

Azriel: I read in an article in BW&BK Magazine, Ola said you guys all have day jobs, could you tell me what you all do?

Glenn: I work as a Offshore technician the rest of the band are working as: Carpenter, Industrial Construction, Students, Cleaning.

Azriel: How did you discover your voice?

Glenn: Probably when I was listening to motorhead when I was a young boy. But honesty I cant remember.

Azriel: Why did you cancel your show with Metal Fest in LA last November? Did it have anything to do with Anita leaving the band?

Glenn: Mainly because that the economical deal was not realy good. It would have become to expensive for the band to go there. We realy dont wanna spend alot of our own money to be able to play somewhere, Cause we are not bloody millionaires. We had already got the replacement for anita when we were offered this show, So she had nothing to do with this.

Azriel: Do you expect further changes in your music style with the next album, will you take the same path at Theatre of Tragedy did and "slow down"?

Glenn: We sure as hell won't slow down. We'll continue experimenting with contrasts in the music, Im not quite sure what kinda changes there will be in the new material since we are still working on it. You'll just have to wait and see how it turns out.

Azriel: Your from Norway, why did you decide to write your lyrics in English, or old english for that matter???

Glenn: Cause I think it sounds stupid to sing in Norwegian, And we have a rather special dialect where we live, So to be able to make people understand, we have to sing in english. And I think that english is a beautifull language, and suits our music good.

Azriel: How do you see the band developing over the next 5 years? Where do you see yourself touring?

Glenn: I have no bloody Idea, I sure as hell did not dream of that we would be where we are now 3 years ago. So I dont dare to predict where we will be and how the music has developed. I prefer to take one day at the time. But hopefully we are still doing good and touring all over the continents.

Azriel: What are your thoughts on things like Napster, Christianity, and North American Culture?

Glenn: Hmmm. Napster is good for promoting bands and their music, But it's bad in the way that the Record companies and Artists lose alot of money on it. What will the future bring if the Record companies and Artist dont make money anymore? where will you find music then ? Christianity, I realy don't like religion. Religion is the main source of all the shit happening on this godforsaken planet. My point of view is that if you need a god, why dont you just belive in yourselves instead of these 1000 year old cartoon comics. Im realy not into the North American Culture.

Azriel: What is your happiest memory about the band so far?

Glenn: The first time I got laid cause I was a rockstar. hehe Just kidding. It has to be the day we completed the recording of Lake of Sorrow, Damn I was proud ! Or maybe on our first European tour. But I only have happy memories regarding the band, And Im quite sure that If you as me in about 20 years I'll be able to tell you the same then.

Azriel: What were you all doing before you started the band as far as life goes?

Glenn: I've been playing in bands with Arild since I was 14 years old. Ola, Stig and Ingfrid has also all been playing in bands most of their youth.

Azriel: What are some of your favorite bands and how has it influenced you as a musisian?

Glenn: Metallica is my all time favourite band, If I should give you a list of all the bands I've liked or been influenced by it would take me a couple of days to write it. But I like lot's of diffrent music, And I think I've been influenced a little bit of every band I realy like.

Azriel: Is there anything I missed you wanted to add?

Glenn: Not realy, I just wanna thank you for your time and effort with the TSOTB yahoo club. We realy appreciate that. Well take care.



Interview with Glenn

Source: http://www.mourningtheancient.com/sins.htm

The Sins of Thy Beloved

The following interview is done with Glenn...


Let's begin traditionally by you enlightening us on the history of The Sins of Thy Beloved.
Well, tsotb was formed by me, Arild and Stig in November '96. Anita and Ola and a female keyboard player also joined then. And in January/February 97 we recorded a demo MCD "All Alone" and soon after we got our first record deal. After this the female keyboard player left the band and Ingfrid took over. During this summer we also asked Anders to join us for some live gig's, and soon after he also joined the band. At the end of this year we ended the deal with our record company and in January '98 we recorded a new demo "Silent pain ." This is also when we got in contact with Pete and he played violins for us on that demo. We sent this demo to several companies and when we received an offer from Napalm Records we signed for them. And we recorded the Lake of Sorrow Album. I cant remember when we recorded this album... But who cares.... Pete also joined the band as a regular member during this period. And after this we've been on a European tour, and played some festivals and we've now completed the recording of our new album " Perpetual Desolation " which will be released early in the new Millennium.
Tell us about your latest release, 'Lake of Sorrow,' and your thoughts on this work?
I'm very proud of this album and I think it is a bloody good debut album. It's quite atmospheric and you can listen to it over and over again. But it was as I said a debut album and there is a lot of things that we could have done better if we had waited longer before we recorded it. But what's done is done.
Your material you are currently working on, how would you say it differs from the previous? Is there a release date set as of yet?
The new stuff is faster, it's more black metal inspired but yet softer at times, it has bigger contrasts, the arrangements are much better, and the production is way better then on Lake of Sorrow.
Having seven members in the band, do you find it difficult to work around everyone's schedule? Are there a lot of conflicts with all of the personalities involved? Or do some people decide the basic direction of the band?
Actually we are 8 persons, Pete joined the band after we had shot the photos for the CD. And we had no time to do new photos. It may be difficult to arrange everything since almost everyone has jobs and/or school. But it doesn't cause any problems. We're always able to arrange something. We haven't had any big conflicts yet...and I don't think we'll get them, cause everyone is so dedicated to what we do. It's mainly me and Arild who decides which way we will go since we write mostly all of our material. But if there's something the others don't like we always find a solution.
There are a lot of similarities with your band and old Theatre of Tragedy, I'd imagine you hear this a lot? Did this band influence any of you?
Personally I don't think we sound like ToT, and yes we hear this a lot ! I wouldn't say that Tot has influenced any of us and I won't say that they haven't.
What feelings do you try to relay to the listener through your music?
We write music that we like ourselves, and I've never thought of what feelings the listener may experience through our music.
Do you plan on writing any songs in your native Norwegian? Is there a reason you have chosen to only do English so far?
We have no plans of writing songs in Norwegian, I don't think that it would suit the music. We write in English cause it's a much more poetic language, and it would sound bloody pathetic with Song titles like "Helt Alene" or "Kysset"
I think it's important to know the people behind the music... tell us about some of the things in your life that inspire you?
Hmmm, everything inspires me, I cant say more than that.
What are your opinions on religion?
I don't give a bloody rat's ass about religion ! This topic is the source of all the bloody shit on this planet !
The music of TSOTB is very sorrowful....does this reflect a personal outlook of the band?
It might, sometimes, but dark and sorrowful things are extremely lovely, don't you think so ?
Would you give your life for anything if needed be?
I hate questions like this !! I don't know what to say. Family, love and shit like that might be things I could die for.
Explain to us your thoughts on death? What do you fathom awaits you, if anything?
Death might be one Hell of an experience or it might not ! I'll just have to wait and see.
What are your thoughts on the chaotic state of the world ? Do you see a darker future for mankind? Will it grow worse before better?
It will Never be better, only grow worse until it's all fucked up.....then Darkness enshrouds the world... And we all die !!
Mankind has always sought answers to the riddles of the night sky... what do you believe lies beyond our world, in the distant coldness of space?
I have no bloody idea. Emptiness ???
Many people these days are looking back to the religions of their pagan ancestors... what are your thoughts on the old religions?
The old religions are fascinating and I love to read about the old Norwegian mythology, The Egyptian is also interesting.
Back to music... Have you done any touring? If so, your experiences?
We've been on one European tour as co-headliners together with Tristania, Trail of Tears, Siebenbürgen, and Anticrisis. And that I must say was one Hell of an experience. It was awesome to play outside of Norway and I cant wait to get out on a tour again.
It's a rather unusual name, 'The Sins of Thy Beloved.' Could you tell us about why it was chosen and what it means to the band?
In the beginning we were called Purgatory, but too many bands already used that name. So we had to figure out something new. And after hours of brainstorming Arild and I ended up with The Sins Of Thy Beloved. This was a name we thought could describe our music. And we also wanted to have a name that was unique.
Are their any special projects you are working on for the future?
I've got some ideas for projects I would like to do, but I don't think I'll be able to do them in the nearest years, there is enough work with TSOTB. We still have 3 albums to do. So I'll have to wait and see....
Lastly, your final comments.
Hmmm, I hope that all you people around take time to check out our forthcoming album " Perpetual Desolation " And for those who haven't heard "Lake of Sorrow" Check this one out as well !..... And I would like to wish you all an unholy x-mas and a bloody new year/millennium!




Review Lake Of Sorrow
Source: www.angelfire.com/pq/gothmaster

A truly great album, but for those who are not prepared for it, it may come
as a shock to hear the blend of death metal and violins! But do not make any
judgment before you have heard it, because it is a wonderful album, with
stunning vocal performances, great musicians, especially the bass guitar, and
accompanied by a melancholy violin, mostly used in the intros. However, if you
are not used to this kind of Goth/Death Metal, then you might want to search
2 minutes into the songs, and you will be served more classic Goth.

The line-up:
Glenn Nordbø: Vocals, guitars
Anita Auglend: Vocals
Ola Aarestad: Bass guitar
Stig Johansson: Drums
Arild Christensen: Guitars, vocals
Anders Thue: Keyboards, piano
Ingfrid Stensland: Keyboards, Piano
Pete Johansen: Violin

The first song starts with a deep roar, which may set the wrong impressions for
the listener, but it sure sounds rather cool. It does not seem to have anything to
do with the rest of the song, however. Then the violins and drums set the mark for
the following intro of the song. Often, and also in this case, the intros are
long, perhaps too long from time to time, in this song it is one minute long. Then
the male, dark, distorted vocals start, still accompanied by the violin. After a
short while, the female vocals are introduced, accompanied by the guitars. The
contrast between the male and female vocals is perfectly mixed and blended, and the
lyrics are also very strong and attaches to the listener's mind immediately.

The intro of the second song has a longer violin solo, with drums and leading on
to introducing the guitars, piano, and bass guitar. This is to me the most emotional
song on the album, much depending on the very emotional and melancholy parts in the
singing and the lyrics. The richness in the music comes to light in the full and
deep sound of the whole performance, in addition to the vocals, always performed
brilliantly. This song is also long, 9 minutes, but always has something to lead
on to, bringing the listener to new experiences. The female vocals with the piano,
but always with the deep, dark bass guitar and rhythm guitars in the background.
The contrast may be the best parts of TSOTB, making music out of the softest and
the hardest, the lightest and the darkest, all in a perfect mix.

In the third song, nothing new happens; violin intro, male and female vocals...
In the fourth song, the style changes somewhat. The intro is shorter and different,
the style of the keyboards is not the same as before. It has a bit happier style, at
least it appears so. A quicker pace, more straightforward tone. But then the female
vocals are introduced, and it works perfectly also with the quicker rhythm. This is
also a truly great song even if the pattern is broken.

Piano intro starts the fifth song, leading on to female vocals, dominating this song.
It is brighter, crisper, and more clear then the previous intros, then tuning down to
a darker side of the vocals, the register is deeper even in the female vocals, which
gives a very interesting concept. In the middle of the song, there is a violin/piano
break that is very good, but it does not fully fit the music as a whole, even if the
match fits the music in many aspects, but the style is violated a bit. This is what
I like the least in this song; the mismatching grows too big here, even if that is
normally the strenght of the band.

The remaining songs do not offer many surprises, but they are brilliant songs, the sixth
song offering a dark and heavy intro, followed by piano and rhythm guitars and bright
female vocals. Then there is a shift between the instrumental parts and the vocals,
also introducing the violin. There is also a section, similar to one in the second
song, where Anita is more whining or sobbing than singing, and this also works well
in the context.

The last song does not have very many surprises either, with violin, piano, and male
vocals. It is still a good song, but perhaps you could expect more of a last song. When
the female vocals are introduced, the song grows, though. But I never liked the guitars
very much in this song, they are a bit too whining instead of being deep and dark. The
piano/guitar section in the middle of the song, with female backing vocals is a good part
not to be ignored.

To conclude, this is a great band with extremely good musicians with big feeling for the
music, and the vocal performances are extraordinary. Also, the richness of the music as
a whole unit is excellent. Perhaps the songs could have been more shifting and offering
some more surprises, but you cannot get everything...

Overall rating: 9 out of 10.


Reviews from Lost Souls Domain, www.zenial.nl


Reviews for The Sins of Thy Beloved - All Alone:

Just a bit above average, nothing special (like the rest of their releases). But this suffers from a bad production, which is quite important for this kind of music.

Review by: Flix


This cd offers the older versions of two songs that were later placed on Lake of Sorrow. In addition to this, there's a very nice bonus song that I really wish would've been released on Lake of Sorrow as well. Worthy of You and All Alone are both very good songs on Lake of Sorrow, and they both seemed to focus vastly on the violin (such as the 3 miinute long violin solo at the intro to Worthy Of You) on Lake of Sorrow. In these versions, the biggest difference by far is the absence of the violin, making them sound very different from their other versions. In no way is this a bad thing, though, since they're still very good songs, and it's always of interest to hear the versions of the song before they were put out on a full album. The vocals were mixed much smoother than on Lake of Sorrow, and they put much more emphasis on the gruff male vocals. As for whether or not that's a good thing... well, that's for you to decide. Overall, I give this an 8/10, points taken off for being only three songs, and the slight lack of a "professional" sound. Still good. Any fan of tSotB should take a listen to this.

Review by: Deatheaven


Reviews for The Sins of Thy Beloved - Lake of Sorrow:

An Excellent album, terrific violin use helps The Sins Of Thy Beloved to create their very unique sound.
Simply a master piece !!!

666/666

Review by: ahlan


This is better then Perpetual Desolation. Here you have much more interesting guitar harmonies and keyboards. This is more doomier and slower which fits them better. The kind of CD one can play over and over again without getting bored. Highly recommend it.

Review by: mactatuz


I was one of the many who got "perpetual desolation" first, and it really impressed me. Excellent female vocals, very (I repeat, VERY) good songs and lyrics. I thought it was a really good album indeed.
But then came an amazing "Lake of Sorrow"... Truly a masterpiece.

Review by: Axor


Excellent. Not much else can be said about this album. The fact that a violin takes a central role in the songs is very refreshing. The vocals (both male and female) are perfect, and the songwritting is supperb

Review by: donomaniaco


Lake of Sorrow was the debut album for what turned into one of the biggest flashes of Goth Metal out there. The Sins of Thy Beloved started off by proving that they were unique of any typical trends out there. The opening to the first song on the album, My Love, fades in to a gruff male grunt, and a symphonic instrumental feel. The violin adds a great deal of passion to the rest of the music. In addition to this, the lyrics are quite touching, as well as quite dark. The third song on the album, Worthy of You, opens up with a three minute violin solo, which is quite weird, considering that most people are used to three minute guitar solos opening up songs. The synth sounds and mixes between male and female voices to sing the songs provide a powerful, grevious feeling, and at the same time, provides a lovely symphony of music. Two of the songs, All Alone, and Worthy of You, were redone and re-released on this album, after being placed on their second demo album, entitled All Alone. A third song, Silent Pain, was also redone from an earlier version released on the first demo album. The greastest differences between the different versions of the songs is the absence of the violins in the previous versions. Good luck on finding the old copies, though, since a very limited amount of copies were made. Anyways, overall, I give this cd, made by the greatest Goth Metal band out there, a 9/10. A deep feeling that you'll never tire of, The Lake of Sorrow.

Review by: Deatheaven


This is the best album that the sins of thy beloved ever realsed! It got an great sound and wonderful lyrics!
I just love the female voice!
My favourite on the album is "The Kiss", the lyrcs is so deep and all!
Shortly said: This i the best album ever!

Review by: Minna


Reviews for The Sins Of Thy Beloved - Perpetual Desolation:

This is a perfect dark album with a great atmosphere !
Screaming violin solo's in every song and the female voice
is in good conjunction with the growling male roars.
The recorded sound is also very good and in my opinion the songs on this album are of a 800% better writing-quality than "Lake of Sorrow". 10/10

Review by: ph.29666


what can I say about it loss of creativity and emotion just unnecessary grunts and violins just for using it.
It suxs...
3/10

Review by: semitrust


Perpetual Desolation adds a new taste to the lovely sound of The Sins of Thy Beloved. The intro to Flame of Wrath is very gothic, holds a very dark feel, yet it's quite powerful, as well. Most people who hear The Flame of Wrath seem to be quite interested in hearing the rest of tSotB's music, which is why it makes a very good intro song. Forever, the second song on the album, has a slightly brighter theme to it, starting out with a flowing rythm of violins and gracious lyrics, occasionally hitting a few sad points. The third song, Pandemonium, is my personal favorite. The beat moves from fast and hard to a slightly softer feel, as Anita begins here singing. It then returns to the fast beat it started with, and has some extra warped voices in the background ("Weak, ohh yes so weak"). The fourth song, Partial Insanity, has, again, a very grippingly powerful feel to it. Perpetual Desolation carries this on some more, but with a gothic feel to it, again. Nebula Queen, track six, starts out slower, and goes slightly back, to sound slightly more like Lake of Sorrow did. The song still retains the feel of the rest of this cd, but it has a very calm beat to it, compared to the rest of Perpetual Desolation. The Mournful Euphony carries on this slower beat to start out with, but the bells ringing and the gruff male vocals and repeating metal sound about halfway through the song preserves the killer powerful feel. A Tormented Soul, track eight, starts rather calm, like the previous tracks, but it breaks this and rocks like hell when the male vocals rise up again. Finally, to end a great cd, tSotB did a full fledged cover of the old Metallica classic, The Thing That Should Not Be. This is a good song in it's original version, but this version, a mere cover version, is purely mindblowing. The added feel of a gothic twist to this song was a stroke of pure artistic genius! Overall, this is the type of album that deserves a 10/10. The lyrics are poetic, and powerful, the violin adds a touch of moderate uniqueness, the blend of the vocals and the feel of the music are enough to make a true fan at heart feel everything from love to hate; everything from joy to sorrow. This is a must get for all fans of gothic metal, with a perfect blend of soft and hard beats.

Review by: Deatheaven


When the symphonic variant of gothic metal made it's rise, Sins of thy Beloved were part of the first wave of the gothic metal explosion with Lake of Sorrow.

That album was impressive to me as it featured 2 gruff vocalists (1 growl + 1 grunt) and a clean female vocalist, and 2 people on keyboards. Even though I was easy to impress back then, it was a good album, with it's sorrowfull violins and melancholical drama.

This album however, they took a slightly different turn. Still with the vocalists and keyboardists plus violins this album already overwhelms the listener at the first spin. Over the top, and massive, every bit of space is used in the sound. It's all over the place. You can audibly hear SotB tried to push the boundaries of gothic metal and tried to transcend it.

What I noticed was the use of electronics; slight vocal distortion on the gruff vocals, techno-effects on the synths (track 4), even an appearance of a 'robotic' voice at the end of a track. After a couple of listens, this doesn't bother me at all though, it seemingly complements the sounds perfectly.

The violins, which gave me a slight headache on the first album, are used to much effect on this album, in various roles. Same for the synths; from sound layer to haunting melodies to vocal powerbooster.

The overall sound on this album can be described as their last album, but with a slight leaning to the Kovenant - Animatronic sound.
I know this isn't an album you'd want your sound compared to but it describes the guitar sound well. Another thing that could be said to be slightly similar to Animatronic is the fact that although it's overwhelming and kick-ass at first, that experience wanes over time with repeated listens.

This isn't total fastfood like Animatronic however, and I dare say this is one of the better gothic metal albums around; at least in the over-the-top drama and theatrics category (damn the way that female vocalist moans in some of the songs..). I just wish they hadn't done the Metallica cover though (The Thing That Should Not Be...quite literally). Although on paper it might sound like a good idea to do an over-the-top version of a Metallica song with violins, grunts and moany female vocals, in practice it's not.

84/100

Review by: Egregius