When Nothing Remains - In Memoriam (CD)

Review
Iye Zine
7.8/10
27.02.2016

A poco più di due anni dallo splendido Thy Dark Serenity arriva il terzo full length degli svedesi When Nothing Remains, una della band che nel decennio in corso ha contribuito ad elevare il livello del death doom melodico.

Le aspettative erano perciò molte, visto che il disco precedente sembrava propedeutico alla pubblicazione del capolavoro definitivo, capace di trasportare la creatura fondata da Peter Laustsen e Jan Sallander fino all’empireo del genere, là dove sono assisi i Saturnus.
Purtroppo l’obiettivo, almeno per questa volta, non viene raggiunto: In Memoriam è un gran bel lavoro, sia chiaro, e conferma quanto di buono questi musicisti scandinavi hanno mostrato fin dai primi passi della band, ma il livello emotivo raggiunto con Thy Dark Serenity viene sfiorato solo a tratti.
Questa constatazione è nata da un semplice esperimento: a un certo punto ho interrotto l’ascolto di In Memoriam ed ho programmato, una di seguito all’altra, quelle due gemme intitolate I Forgive You e Like An Angel Funeral e qui, l’infallibile lacrimometro, personalissimo ma attendibile strumento di misura del grado di commozione, ha mostrato quanto il pathos emanato da quelle due superbe canzoni non venisse mai raggiunto nell’ultima raccolta di brani.
Dopo i primi ascolti l’album mi sembrava addirittura anonimo poi, insistendo e cercando di sgombrare la mente da quelle aspettative che, appunto, mi impedivano di fruire in maniera fluida dei contenuti musicali, la bontà della proposta è emersa con chiarezza tanto da spingermi a parlarne in maniera tutt’altro che negativa.
Le varie Drowning in Sorrows, la title track, A Lake of Frozen Tears e While She Sleeps sono a loro volta preziose tracce alle quali manca solo quella drammaticità in grado di lacerare l’anima e ed abbattere le residue difese che la nostra psiche erige di fronte a certe toccanti rappresentazioni del dolore in musica.
Detto ciò, In Memoriam è un bellissimo disco che chi predilige questo genere amerà sicuramente, in virtù di una pulizia sonora invidiabile e di una vis romantica e malinconica che pervade ogni nota, ma per il capolavoro bisogna aspettare il prossimo giro; io comunque continuo a crederci …

Author: Stefano Cavanna

Review
Doom-Metal.com
9/10
22.02.2016

Following on from ‘As All Torn Asunder’ (2012) and ‘Thy Dark Serenity’ (2013), third album ‘In Memoriam’ from Sweden’s When Nothing Remains gives no reason to doubt that it is a continuation of the same story. Once again released by Solitude Productions, wrapped in Zoltan Horvath’s very-recognisable artwork, the cover completes a triptych of Victoriana-styled pieces: the ghosts of the original couple now watch calmly over a younger descendent (a granddaughter, perhaps, if they are fully chronological in order), while lupine beasts circle their graves and the Apocalyptic Horseman wait in the background.

In tandem with that, Daniela Svennson returns to flesh out lyrics on one song, while Tobias Leffler seamlessly takes up the main lyrical duties, collecting together another loosely-coupled set of narratives on wintry death, loss and sorrow. Behind the scenes, and one of the reasons it’s been a while in arriving, the band has had a bit of a reshuffle – taking on a new drummer and rhythm guitarist Tobias, while Jan Sallander moves from rhythm to bass – but that hasn’t changed the essential nature of the project: it remains a vehicle for the lush, symphonic compositions and arrangements of the band’s founder members, Sallander and Peter Laustsen.

When it comes to Swedish Gothic/Doom, there’s one obvious name which casts a very long shadow, and, indeed, Draconian’s Johan Ericsson was a long-standing guest clean vocalist, while Jerry Torstensson was the drummer on ‘Thy Dark Serenity’. Even so, When Nothing Remains have always stood out from under that shadow, establishing an identity that draws from the same ’90s Gothic/Death/Doom sources but merges it with significant symphonic Gothic Metal elements – at heart, perhaps more like that other Swedish Gothic/Doom band: The Equinox Ov The Gods. ‘In Memoriam’ continues the arc away from those original influences, though, with a further evolution of their trademark male/male ‘Beauty and the Beast’ vocal duets and wide range of synthesised orchestral instruments into ever-more sophisticated realms.

It is, in fact, a luscious, crisply-produced tug on every heartstring going – melodic tracks typical of the preceding albums, such as ‘Drowning In Sorrows’ and ‘Eternal Slumber’, rubbing shoulders with the MDB violin and riffs of ‘Ghost Story’, through ‘The Soil In My Hand’s Within Temptation-esque female-vocalled slow dance, to the weepy Gaelic folk theme of closer ‘The Spirits In The Woods’, which could easily have graced a Clannad album. Musically, it never fails to convince with its stately and majestic backbone of guitars and percussion underwriting some tremendous keyboard lines and synth/programming work: the depth and spread of that in places as full-sounding as a Therion-style band-and-orchestra extravaganza. And, once past the rather dubious spoken doggerel introducing the album, the interplay between clean and harsh vocals is perfectly balanced, declaiming passion and pain in equal measures. Every note and nuance, as might be expected, is rendered with a delicious clarity: the mix and mastering commendably spot-on for the material.

You could say that it essentially touches base with more or less every emotive Gothic oeuvre imaginable, to the point of haunting familiarity and aching nostalgia. But that’s the thing with music in romantic Gothic genres: its themes and boundaries are so well-established as to be cliché; what matters is not really that it embraces them, but how effectively it renders them. By that yardstick, ‘In Memoriam”s polished portrayal of the beautiful sorrow of fleeting, tragic existence is a near-flawless one. On the Doom side of the equation, it’s a little more ambiguous, though. The pace is certainly slow, often funereal, and the excellent growls and (limited) guitar leads are both classic Doom elements, but the expansively melodic melancholy pervading the album gives it an overall accessibility and spaciousness rather than any great sense of darkness and despair. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does skew the likely audience somewhat. As my colleague Mark observed of ‘Thy Dark Serenity’: “To me, this is a Doom album suited more for listeners outside the genre and curious, than those already living within it”. If anything, I’d see ‘In Memoriam’ as a step further in that “gateway” direction, at least as likely to reach out to fans of Epica or Lacrimosa, and beyond, as to those of Lycanthia or Draconian.

Regardless, if you fall anywhere on that spectrum, you should find it no problem at all to spend an hour drifting with the languid tides of ‘In Memoriam’, knowing there are no hidden depths or dangers to drag you down. Much as the cover depicts, it’s a serene refuge in well-worn and comforting griefs, while any greater perils are held at bay, left to prowl outside. Don’t be surprised, either, if you find snatches of it echoing in your thoughts afterwards – some of the hooklines are fearsomely catchy. Even if you prefer your misery delivered in harder-edged packages, it would be hard to refute the quality and completeness When Nothing Remains have made their own: sure, it’s comparatively light by Doom standards, but without contrast, there is no darkness, either – right?

Author: Mike Liassides

Review
Doomed to Darkness
8/10
23.02.2016

When Nothing Remains are a band from Sweden that plays a mixture of goth, doom and death metal and this is a review of their 2016 album “In Memoriam” which was released by Solitude Productions.

Nature sounds and synths start off the album along with some spoken word parts also being utilized at times and the music also mixes in a very tragic and atmospheric musical style and after awhile the music starts going into more of a heavy and melodic musical style that is in more of a doom metal vein.

When solos and leads are utilized they remain true to a very melodic and depressive musical style and most of the tracks are very long and epic in length and they also utilize a lot of death metal growls that are very easy to understand while some clean singing goth vocals are also brought into some parts of the songs.

Spoken word parts can be heard in the music briefly and the songs also bring back a lot of the early 90’s atmospheric doom/death metal style while also mixing in some more modern symphonic elements and when screams are used for a few seconds they bring in a touch of black metal and there are also female vocals on one of the later songs and they give the music more of an operatic feeling and the whole album also sticks to a very slow musical direction.

When Nothing Remains plays a style of gothic doom/death metal that is very atmospheric and rooted in the 90’s while also mixing in more modern symphonic elements to update the genre for modern days, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover sorrow, love and tragedy themes.

In my opinion When Nothing Remains are a very great sounding mixture of goth, doom and death metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE “Drowning In Sorrows” “Ghost Story” and “While She Sleeps”.

Author: OccultBlackMetal

Review
Blood Chamber
9/10
02.03.2016

Eines der ganz wenigen Labels, die es immer wieder schaffen zu Blindkäufen zu verleiten, ist das auf Doom Metal spezialisierte russische Label Solitude Productions. Und eine ganz besondere Beziehung zu diesem hat dann auch die Haus- und Hofband WHEN NOTHING REMAINS, hat nämlich eben jene aktuell das komplette Mitteleuropageschäft übernommen. Ein prima Schachzug, wenn man dabei an das eigene Promoting denkt. Allerdings reicht für eine gewisse Qualität leider nur sehr selten das reine Marketing als Maßstab.

Also was ist das nun für eine Reise, auf die uns die vier Schweden auf ”In Memoriam” mitnehmen wollen? Rein optisch betrachtet, nimmt man die Cover der beiden Vorgänger als Vorlage, sind es die selben ausgetretenen Pfade der Jahre 2012 und 2013. Nun, das ist bestimmt nicht schlecht, wenn an diese Alben angeknüpft werden kann, sind doch beide mehr als nur hörenswert. Und so ist die Spielart auf der aktuellen Scheibe eben genau da anzusiedeln. Vielleicht sind hier und da die Gothic Elemente ein wenig deutlicher, aber der eigentliche Charme ist in jeder Sekunde der, der die Band ausmacht: Melodisch melancholisches Taktgeschleppe.
Das Tempo ist sicherlich langsam, oft an der Grenze zum Funeral, aber auf der klassischen Seite der Elementarlehre des Dooms finden sich ausgezeichnete Growls und sanftes Gesäusel, sowie auf der instrumentalen Seite schöne behäbige Gitarrenriffs, die gemütlich den Weg voran schreiten. So entsteht eine Art des leichteren Zugangs zu in diese Welt, was bei vielen Veröffentlichungen in diesem Genre mitunter völlig abhanden gekommen ist. Also weniger Haut von Gans, sondern mehr Gemütlichkeit. Für mich ist dieses ein Album, das geeignet ist mehr für die Zuhörer außerhalb der Doom-Welt zu tun. Und wer durch Bands wie MY DYING BRIDE, DOOM:VS oder in Maßen sogar DRACONIAN bereits in dieser lebt, der sollte ruhig neugierig sein.

”In Memoriam” ist ein Werk, das aus einem Stück gegossen wurde. Es glänzt durch eine satte Produktion und verleiht den einzelnen Stücken enormen Tiefgang. Daher ist es auch schwer einzelne Tracks aus der Masse herauszuheben, als Anspieltipp möchte ich daher die Songs 1-4 und 5-9 hervorheben. Natürlich werden ausgewiese Szenekenner monieren, dass WHEN NOTHING REMAINS nicht so wahnsinnig viel an Innovation an den Tag legen und sich wirklich sehr häufig bei den oben genannten Bands bedienen, nur ich für meinen Teil muss sagen, dass diese Art von musikalischer Aufarbeitung von Referenzen hervorragend funktioniert und ein Album hervorgebracht worden ist, das wirklich eine komplette Stunde zu unterhalten vermag.

Author: Thomas Schönbeck [ts]

Review
Dead Rhetoric
8/10
29.02.2016

Sometimes it boggles the mind who some bands stay below the radar for so long, despite continued excellence. Take a look at When Nothing Remains, a death doom band that has been doing their thing for three albums at this point. Not much on the pre-release hype train, but then again, who needs hype when you can pull off this genre of music with this much finesse?

The doom/death approach of When Nothing Remains is mostly tried and true (in the realms of say, Draconian, Novembers Doom, or Swallow the Sun), but the level of songwriting is what makes the difference here. Lumbering and melancholic riffs really tug at the listener, offering plenty in the way of sadness and sorrow. But there’s something so elegant about the melodies that are interlocked into each track, and the background work that makes them so highly emotive. Using keyboards (and strings in particular) to elevate the mood, tracks like “Ghost Story” carry the downtrodden weight that the genre is known for, but also a certain degree of epic majesty. The atmosphere that is conveyed from beginning to end never moves from being compelling. In terms of highlights, “The Soil in My Hand” switching things up with female clean vocals and softer tones and serves as a nice centerpiece, and the opening track “Reunited in the Grave” nicely opens things up with 10-minutes of doom/death magic, effectively showcasing everything to come: sullen atmosphere, great growl/clean dynamics, and crawling riffs atop serene melodies. The cover art (and it’s relation to the previous two album covers) is worth noting as well, which is rather unique and quite fitting to the music within.

Maybe third time is the charm for When Nothing Remains, who have built up an excellent discography. Sure to be a sleeper hit this year, In Memoriam is a damn-near must have if you enjoy doom/death in its purest form.

Author: Kyle McGinn