Originally founded in 2009 in Åland Islands an autonomous region in Finland, goth rock act LAMORI have blended the lines between gothic metal and modern rock. The five piece is inspired by classic horror movies, old romanticism and it is undeniable that bands like HIM, The 69 Eyes, Depeche Mode and even The Doors are their influences. While we are still waiting for their next album, we had the chance to listen to their last release “To Die Once Again”, which was released worldwide early 2017 through Wormholedeath Records.
The album in general seems to be a good combination of goth rock, with a pinch of new wave and modern hard rock. With influences such as HIM, Depeche Mode and The Doors, that is no big surprise. Because of this most of the songs on the album are really catchy. The album starts off with the atmospheric intro song “T.D.O.A Prelude”, a soft and calm piano melody leads us into a more melancholic atmosphere. The white noise in between the intro song and “Until Death (Do Us Apart)” is a bit unfortunate and breaks the atmosphere, other than that “Until Death (Do Us Apart) is a really strong opening track, which reminds a bit of 69 Eyes. Matias Juselius has a very captivating voice, which is very versatile, beautiful in the low tones and often reminds of Ville Valo. “Chapter IV” has the catchiness of a Depeche Mode or an OMD song and is my personal favorite on the album. “Follow the Ghost” is the heaviest song on the album and has a melody that will get stuck in your head for some days. “Palace of Pleasure” is another highlight for me, it has very surprising riffs and a compelling guitar solo that keeps you entertained throughout the whole song.
Despite the strong resemblance to HIM, LAMORI’s music is much darker, darker lyrics, even more melancholy. Musically LAMORI’s sound is heavier and it taps into a lot of elements from other genres, which makes this album very refreshing to listen to. The sound of the album is very good and distinctive, I am in particularly compelled by the struck by the keyboards, which sometimes feel as if the melodies came straight from the ’80s, but it works.
With well written lyrics (and this is very important, because sometimes goth rock acts can get to that very mellow and sweet cliché state) and overall good song writing, I would totally recommend this album to any enthusiast of gothic rock and acts such as HIM, The 69 Eyes and even Depeche Mode. We are already looking forward to their next release!
Lineup
Matias – vocals
Marcus –guitar
Mikael – bass
Jens – keys
Emanuel – drums
Tracklist
1. T.D.O.A Prelude
2. Until Death (Do Us Apart)
3. Lost In Love
4. Chapter IV
5. To Die Once Again
6. Follow The Ghost
7. Drown Me
8. The Beauty Of A Wilted Rose
9. Intermezzo
10. Wicked Little Things
11. Palace Of Pleasure
12. T.D.O.A Postlude
Label
Wormholedeath Records
