SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CEMETERY SKYLINE – NORDIC GOTHIC

CEMETERY SKYLINE
NORDIC GOTHIC
CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS

What do you get when you combine five Swedish musical superpowers, gothic elements, and metal roots? You get Cemetery Skyline’s debut album Nordic Gothic, an immensely strong goth metal album that is something to look forward to within the weeks of its release. Upon first listen, the album is a rare collection of “no skips”, where the skills of each member are highlighted on every track. By your second listen, the album will be replaying in your mind until you give into your cravings and listen again… For a debut album of a band with no set direction just yet, the album is well made and well deserving of the praise the released singles have received so far.

This album has stuck to its gothic-metal elements and has not strayed one bit, this album is sure to be enjoyed by fans of the already thriving goth rock community, and clearly takes elements from the members other projects, but also from the likes of Sisters of Mercy. Each song on the album rightfully deserves its place, with “Torn Away” being a strong single, however a peculiar choice for the album opener as it is not as ear-grabbing as an opener should be. Personally, I believe that “Never Look Back” would have made a stronger opener on Nordic Gothic, with its simple yet emotional storytelling and its almost overly-dramatic structure.

As much as the album is good all around, it really thrives in the last half of the album, where the songs “The Coldest Heart”, “The Darkest Night”, “Anomalie”, and the beautifully powerful closer, “Alone Together”, all come together to solidify the work as an album to remember. If you take away anything from this read, please let it be that “Alone Together” is the song of the album. Like all gothic music it seems, the closers just really seem to pull at the heart, and “Alone Together” is seven minutes of pure glory.

Personally, the only downside is the mixing on the vocals, they needed a bit more work for them to really shine. As well as this, I hope for their next work they will have a wider range of creative influence rather than following the same structure for every single song, which makes great singles, but can unfortunately make the album seem droning in the wrong listener’s ears.

When five greats of the Swedish rock scene come together, we are guaranteed an album that is sure to leave a lasting memory. There is definitely room for this project to grow, but we are absolutely not starting from rock bottom. I will continue to look forward to their next collaboration together, but in the meantime, I truly hope to hear some of these bangers in my local goth club.

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