Lacrimosa Album: “B-Seiten Single Collection”

The B-Seiten Collection is is the album for which I have waited years! For anyone who doesn't know, Lacrimosa plays a unique blend of classical music and gothic metal. For each full-length album they have released over the years, one song from the album has been released as a single. The single releases often contain exclusive tracks which are not included on the full-length releases.

Because I purchase the full albums instead of the singles, I did not have the exclusive tracks. Looking at Lacrimosa's long history, and the number of singles they have released, I knew there was no way I would purchase each and every one of the single releases. But I always thought, "If only Lacrimosa would compile all these exclusive tracks onto one CD, I would buy a copy right away!" The album would be perfect for longtime fans such as myself who have purchased the full albums but not the singles.

Finally, this album has been released (although only in Korea for some odd reason). Fans of the band will be able to hear how each track bears a musical similarity to the album with which it was recorded. I enjoyed both the vintage sound of older songs like "Multatio Spiritus" and "Ruin", as well as the more recent sound of "Vankina" and "Und du fallst". I could probably do without the remixes, as I do not really like music which has been remixed, scrambled, jumbled, or pureed.

The booklet contains an interesting 4-page insert which gives some information about each track. Unfortunately, the booklet is written in Korean so only the song and album titles are in the roman alphabet. There are a lot of glossy black-and-white photos which span Lacrimosa's career. I have seen these photos before, but the inclusion of these still makes for a nice package.

If you have never listened to Lacrimosa, I don't recommend this album as an introduction to the band. Choose another of the releases, such as Elodia (my favorite), Echos, or Stille. If you have some of the albums and are looking to add to your collection -- this CD will fit in perfectly.