• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

First thing first, album opener "Leave the Fallen Behind" has to be one of the most misleading openers in existence. Sounding like Symphonic Power Metal act Serenity with female vocals, it set my hopes up high for the rest of the album. Disappointingly nothing else on offer can match the awesome opening track. Silentium play a slow to mid-paced style of music with strong Gothic and symphonic elements. I'm not the biggest Gothic Metal fan but I have to admit there is a certain charm to Amortean. Of course the star of the show is lead singer Riina Rinkinen, and what a gorgeous voice she has, both sweet and powerful. The male vocals unfortunately let the side down, be it weak "death" grunts or diabolical Marco Hietala impressions – they should have just left the vocals to Riina.

"The Messenger" kicks off in phenomenal fashion, epic and sprawling symphonic elements over some really tasteful mid-paced chugging – if the rest of Amortean were to sound like this we'd be looking at a 4+ score. "A Knife in the Back" pretty much kills the buzz I had from the first two tracks, slow and boring - not really something I want in a metal album. Throughout "A Knife…" and the next track "The Fallen Ones With You Tonight" we see Silentium tread throughout alt-rock waters; best skip these two. Fortunately "My Broken Angel" manages to bring things back up, sounding like the first tracks, albeit not as interesting. "The Cradle of the Nameless" begins with keyboards sounding suspiciously like that of Evergrey's "When The Walls Go Down" but nonetheless is still an enjoyable romp, using more of the symphonic elements that I'm so fond of on this release. It's certainly a shame Silentium didn't spread the obvious talent they have across the rest of the album. Next time around they would do well to cut back on the slower acoustic/alt-rock passages, try adding more of the awesome sound we heard the first two tracks or the quality "Embrace the Storm". For Gothic Metal fans this would seem a no-brainer, and Symphonic Metal fans would do well to check this out too. Just don't expect this album to blow your mind.

Standout tracks; "Leave The Fallen Behind", "The Messenger" and "Embrace The Storm".