So, what’s the deal with Brazilian bands and French names? First, AVEC TRISTESSE and now, VENIN NOIR… Ok, jokes aside I was really impressed when this one arrived, because the cover art is gorgeous and so is the inside of the booklet, sadly, I wasn’t impressed at all with the music, not because it is bad, but because I think that VENIN NOIR didn’t accomplish what they were trying to do in this album, I mean, I think that these guys could do a LOT better, but let’s discuss that in a while ok?

VENIN NOIR is a Gothic Doom Metal band that mainly deals with slow and calm songs and operatic female vocals, for all of you that are thinking NIGHTWISH, you’re terribly wrong, change your thoughts to RAIN FELL WITHIN, that’s more like it. Anyway, the female vocals are nicely done, but I don’t think that fits the music, slow mellow tracks with operatic female vocals sound like a good idea and many, many bands have tried this, but only a few have succeeded.

But of course that doesn’t mean that this is a bad album, because it is not and even though it wasn’t my cup of tea, it has some great songs. Like “Buried Alive”, full of melody and catchy parts, for me, the best song of the album. “A Deeper Gray”, an epic and melancholic song that features some great male vocals, this song accomplishes the gloomy feeling that the band wanted for this album I think.

I’m not the Metal authority around the globe, I know, but I think that VENIN NOIR could give their music more consistency and add elements to make it more melancholic, because with the exception of those 2 songs, the rest didn’t impress me all that much. (Online April 20, 2005)