I tend to compare goth metal bands to TYPE O NEGATIVE, as I think TYPE O NEGATIVE is the kind of band who always wants to push forward instead of making something palatable for the masses. Considering the way Europeans treat their goth metal, making palatable female-fronted bands seems like an easy gateway to getting signed.
The description of having doom mixed in with goth metal on “Grace Submerged” is an apt way of describing it, as it certainly sounds like a near perfect melding of pianos, keyboards, soaring female vocals and some guitars with a hint of 70’s sludge behind them. The general feeling of the album is laid back, and most of the building up in songs is a shallow slope rather than a steep hill ride. Unfortunately for the most of the album, the other instruments tend to be simple and in the background, used more as support for the vocals, with the odd ballad style piano run thrown in. The generally simple support and laidback feeling of the album tend to work against each other, causing most of the album to blur together.
With the song “Moonlit” starting with it’s catchy 70’s doom riff, going into the forgettable bass/drum verse to race to that hook-laden chorus, and the quick-moving double bass, mosh inducing break, all starting off as the second song on the album, you can tell it’s a single. Not only that, but because the single is used up to quickly, it turns the rest of the album into filler.
Female fronted goth bands have practically become a sub-genre, while at the same time, you can see though most of them and tell what they’re trying to gain. The concept of bringing 70’s style doom to the mix is really commendable. I just wish OCTAVIA SPERATI hadn’t been so focussed on trying to “make it big”. There’s lots of potential, and I think a more creative solution would actually pay off more than a more mainstream one.
6/10
The Official Octavia Sperati Website
Octavia Sperati at MySpace
Octavia Sperati at Candlelight Records
