Disco de Lacrimosa: “Echos”

I used to be quite heavily into Goth in the late 80s, through the early-mid 90s. After that, I started losing interest, it seemed as though Goth was getting too popular, and thus commercialized, and the new Goth music coming out just seemed less and less appealing.

Well, this review is for those of you, like me, who miss the old school Goth. I don't know about all that crap that they call Goth nowadays, I won't name specific names here. But I do know that it's missing the old vibe. So, if you like older Goth; you know, Bauhaus, X-Mal Deutschland, Gitane Demone, Switchblade Symphony, Mephisto Walz, Suspiria, etc... then check out Lacrimosa.

I know now that they have in fact been putting out albums through the 90s, but living here in the United States of Ignorance, I had no idea of them until last year, when I traveled outside the country and found Echos in a music shop! Intrigued by the cover (it's the original European release, with a ship on the cover), I bought it, and thus discovered that true, profound Goth is alive and very well in Lacromisa!

Now, Lacrimosa is quite musically complex, I believe more so than the more usual Goth bands. If you check out Lacrimosa you should also like Classical, or at least be open-minded about it, because there is a heavy dose of it. The only very, very slight complaint I have about Echos is the long first track classical overture, it is maybe a bit too long, but this is very minor; it is otherwise perfect in every way!

There are a number of reviewers here who seem disturbed by the singing and German language. I am surprised by this. His voice and way of singing is stunning; a very strong and powerful Goth voice, not screaming like with some bands, just very powerful and emotive. The German language is amazing, harsh and beautiful. In my European release I have no English translations; I don't need them, his voice becomes an instrument that speaks to me on another level, I need no literal meanings...

It's too bad Amazon does not sell Lacrimosa's Satura album; that one is definitely my favorite. Echos is awesome, though, and any lover of classical music or gothic rock should have it, as long as haunting German vocals will not turn them off.

Tilo's vocals really are the only complaint anyone can have about Echos. At times, they are cheesy. The only other complaint I can think of is that the intro track, Kyrie, is a little too long. The piece is not complicated enough to warrant 12-13 minutes. They could have shortened it a little without losing much. Also, Tilo's singing sounds a bit off on "Eine Nacht in Ewigkeit".

However, I don't listen to Lacrimosa for the vocals, but for the beautiful music accompanying them. Absolutely brilliant.

This was an album that I simply bought on impulse, even though, being a metal fan, I wasn't expecting to be blown away by it.

Well, I wasn't blown away, but I greatly enjoy it. It starts with the nearly thirteen-minute overture, which is in itself worth the buy. Normally, I get bored with overture intros after the first thirty seconds, but this one is an attention-keeper the entire way through. The songs that have singing in them come out with mixed results, but there is nothing that I'd label bad or even average; it's all fine work. They do rely heavily on guest musicians, but since there are only two of them and they both do pretty much the same thing (piano vs. keyboards, not much difference there), it's acceptable. You don't get a whole lot of guitar out of it anyway, but for an album like this, it's not such an issue. Best track is #5 (don't feel like typing the name out), as it incorporates more elements of contemporary music with the gothic/romantic/classical-era piano & violin parts. The vocals are good; Anne (the good-looking one) does a very good job, but Tilo (the man that looks like a woman) has a voice that's almost as comical as his appearance, but somehow or other, it works.

I just got this CD an hour or so ago, so I've only had time to skim through it, but I have a feeling it'll be seeing the inside of my CD player a lot more. I haven't really gotten into the lyrics (translations) yet, as I've only had time to flip through the pages and pick out lines here and there, but so far, I'm liking the story line. It's a lot more intricate and thought-out than many other bands can come up with. Anyway, if you need something that is true to its classical roots (I'm not sure it's gothic per se, but it's somewhere in that period) but with a nice tinge of the best parts of modern music, then Lacrimosa is the band for you. Once I get hold of some more cash, I'll be investing in their other works.

An online friend of mine kept recommending Lacrimosa to me so I finally gave in and bought 'Echos' several months back. At first I didn't care for it much and actually put it in my to-sell-someday drawer but I'm really glad I recently gave it another try. Some CDs take a long time to grow on me, and I'm not sure why, but a lot of them turn out to be eventual favorites. I love music sung in different tongues but I'm not too fond of German and all the tracks but one are in that language so the lead male vocalist, Jilo Wolff, took some getting used to. I now admire his deeply expressive tone, though, and I believe it meshes well with Lacrimosa's haunting synthesis of classical and melodic Goth metal seamlessly mixed to perfection. Anne Nurmi also has a gorgeous voice that supports a good number of the melodies. In the future I just hope to hear more of her talents upfront and in the spotlight because she did such a stunning job on "Apart".

Thanks to the person who got me hooked on this group (nosferatum) I have some more Lacrimosa albums on their way to me and am really looking forward to experiencing their other releases. And because I don't know a word of German the English translations for the lyrics and song titles were greatly appreciated.

Highlights for me include "Durch Nacht und Flut (Through Night And Flood)", the epic 9 minute long "Sacrifice", the previously mentioned "Apart" and "Eine Hauch von Menschlichkeit (A Touch Of Humanity)".

Lacrimosa's Echos has taken me to a new place musically: dark classical music that is strong and emotional. The talent stands out. Tilo's voice is different, but it is skilled and precise. I'd like to hear more of Anne's, though. I have listened all the way through many times since buying Echos without growing tired of it. Now I need a recommendation for which Lacrimosa album to explore next...