Lake Of Tears-Illwill

AFM Records
2011

It has been 19 years since Lake Of Tears first set foot upon the Earth. Formed out of the ashes of a death metal band by Daniel Brennare, Jonas Eriksson and Michael Larsson ( after which point they hooked up with Johan Oudhuis ) Lake Of Tears has been an on-again, off-again project. The band has also morphed in style and sound over the course of their career pulling in various different genres to fit their needs. On Illwill while the band still maintains some of the experimental nature that made them so interesting and refreshing the bottom line is heaviness. With a raw metal sound Illwill is Lake Of Tears as both a goth metal entity as well as upfront thrash onslaught. The title track recalls Slayer at times while "U.N.S.A.N.E." grasps at old school hard rock/metal. "House Of The Setting" is mid-period Lake Of Tears (meaning a Pink Floyd vibe). On "Behind The Green Door" one can sense a slight nod of appreciation towards early goth rockers that have come before. "Parasites" is an odd mash-up of Motorhead and classic metal showing an understanding that bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden rule the world. If I wasn't dreaming I even thought I caught a touch of early Metallica. Something is up on these ten tracks. It is as if Lake Of Tears want to pull in legions of new listeners while retaining their fan base. It just might work. Check out "Out Of Control" for example. This metal rocker wouldn't be out of place on a Motorhead disc. "Taste Of Hell" is Judas Priest, Megadeth and Slayer paying homage to a Black Sabbath influenced Metallica. Once "Midnight Madness" comes knocking you'll be eager to open the door to find out what is left to finish you off. This might just be one of the strongest albums of Lake Of Tears long career.