Dynamic, kaleidoscopic musical theatre.

Have to admit, it took my quite a long time to warm to Finnish Goth metal pioneers Lullacry. For too long they seemed to be caught up in the whirl of post grunge/nu-metal media darlings beloved by the likes of Kerrang!, and as such were never really that high on my priority list. Gradually however, as the scene started to settle down and the better bands realised that melody and longevity were as important as ambivalence and rhetoric, Lullacry suddenly became a lot more interesting.

The more I heard the more intriguing they became, the addition of vocalist Tanja Laino back in 2002 (for me at least) taking them to a whole other level. A couple of noteworthy albums – 2003’s dramatic ‘Crucify My Heart’ and ‘Vol: 4’ some two years later – seemed to cement their position as one of the leading lights in the burgeoning Goth metal scene ... but then it all went dark. For far too long the band seemed to drop off the radar completely seemingly lost forever; another one of the constant stream of casualties the music industry chews up and spits out by the side of the road.

Then rumours started to circulate that the band were finally back in the studio laying down tracks for a new album; rumours eventually substantiated earlier this year when lead single ‘Bad Blood’ surfaced. Now, after an excruciatingly long absence that makes the wait for a new Boston album even seem reasonable, Lullacry are about to bounce back with album number five ‘Where Angels Fear’. Produced by Mikko Herranen (Misery Inc., Rust) who also duets with Tanja on the emotionally charged ‘Feel My Revenge’, ‘Where Angels Cry’ has all the hallmarks of the Lullacry of old, yet at the same time sees them move forward into darker, even more atmospheric and engaging territory. Tracks like the hypnotic lullaby ‘Broken (Into Pieces)’ stand shoulder to shoulder with relentless anthems such as ‘Thousand Sons’, caustic title track ‘Where Angels Fear’ or the aforementioned ‘Bad Blood’ to forge a complex, ever changing musical landscape awash with the exhilarating highs and crushing lows of a thousand shattered dreams!

Dynamic, kaleidoscopic musical theatre is the vision that comes to mind whenever I think of Lullacry, and this thoroughly engaging new album simply provides affirmation of that.

Dave Cockett