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TEARFULEYES
Lacrimosis Oculis

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 5/10

Here’s a rather strange marrying of melodic death metal and traditional heavy metal, although I belief this Swedish act began life as a more standard act in 2016. This debut full-length album doesn’t sit right with me; the choppy yet more contemporary death metal barks are distinctly Swedish at times, although there’s a thrash twist to them but coupled with some of the more driving, galloping and beer-chugging anthemic rhythms it just feels forced.

Opener ‘Fly Away’ is part Eurovision entry, part chest-thumping Manowar meets death metal. Meanwhile, ‘Thunder Breaks The Silence’ has a more cutting riff, as does ‘Last Day In Hell’ which teams up an Iron Maiden-esque ramble yet with thrashy overlays but it’s just not to my taste I’m afraid.

Elsewhere, ‘Salvation’ just feels and sounds mechanical in spite of its pace, ‘Whispering’ has more of a 90s groove and ‘Battlefield’ follows suit. In a sense, the band is trying something different but it just feels soulless and generic, and by the time ‘Heaven’ rounds things off I’m reaching for the sick bucket with such a sterile glint of glossy Euro metal. Sorry guys, not for me.

Neil Arnold

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