A somewhat perplexing amalgam.
September Mourning is described (on their MySpace page) as “a creation of a universe” and not a band but a story. Whatever it is, it has been put together by lead singer Emily Lazar and Marc Silversti of Top Row Comics. Having a successful tour with Marilyn Manson and a graphic novel based on the story reveals large plans for this project. How many people will take note of the story is open to debate but its clear as the vocals come screaming out the speakers that with a title like ‘Go for the Throat’ September Mourning wants you to take notice!
There is plenty of attitude in the musical style and it’s a mixture of Arch Enemy and Evanescence in equal measures, Emily Lazar one moment sounds like a banshee the next a troubled child. You can imagine the hoards of gothic disenchanted young girls falling in love with ‘A Place to Call Your Own’ as it spits out chunky riffs and lyrics of tragedy. It was a welcome change in pace with the offering of ‘Always’ which lets the roar of the guitars fade into the background and the lyrics have their moment to shine and direct the storyline.
We touch on an industrial sound that unfortunately lets ‘Love is War’ just become a predictable mess of anguish, this is no ‘Welcome to My Nightmare’ and I begin to fear the worst for where we are about to tread musically. Then the commanding and commercial vocal of ‘Lost Angels’ appears and you realise that September Mourning have something that with the right promotion could put the band on the map; it is a pop rock gothic slice of fantastic song writing that on first listen just grabs you. In keeping with the more subtle feel ‘Crimson Skies’ is a piece that reveals the depth of emotion in Emily Lazar’s voice, despite the onslaught of muscular guitar work that surrounds her.
This release is by no means a perfect template and at times its surge of musical ideas loses any concept there is in the storyline among the bludgeoning screams and old school guitar work. Then in the lighter moments the depth of feeling and song writing display a craft that leads you to accept there is a winning formula being unleashed if you just give it some of your time.
A somewhat perplexing amalgam…
Ray Paul
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