In the house of TSOTB we get a little reduced heaviness, but for that a violin, which adds its very own touch to the compositions, which you just cannot find with comparable bands. This alone should be enough to banish all accusations of plagiarism.

And the first song "My Love" proves this to us, because the violin is the characterising element right at the start, even though it moves more to the background during the rest of the song and gives way to doomy/moderate, atmospheric Gothic Metal (but still with enough crunch in the guitars) and alternating vocals, yet always setting accents throughout, great start for the album!

Also dreamy the violin-start for "Worthy Of You", played solo, while the following "Lake Of Sorrow" convinces with its good melody, partly again played on the violin. The title-track is very atmospheric, also by the responsory of gruff front-elk Glenn Nordbø and the fragile-frail voice of soprano Anita Auglend.

The rest of the album also offers us Gothic Metal of the elevated class, set apart from the rest by the great violin, whose extraordinary play adds more character to the compositions, making them something quite special.

Unfortunately "Lake Of Sorrow" is another victim of the standardised Napalm-cover-strategy, with a very clichéd cover, which takes away quite something of the atmospheric strength of the album, the eye listens, too, or something like that…

Anyway, THE SINS OF THY BELOVED have presented us with a really good debut in "Lake Of Sorrow", which should not disappoint any genre-fan, the violin alone should take care of that...