Metal Reviews

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This band and this album make me sad. Lyriel were a fantastically talented and original folk rock/metal band for their first two albums, the second of which, Autumntales, may be my favorite of the whole genre. Then it seems like they must have said, "Hey, we have two pretty faces in the band, let's glam them up, turn the folk down (haha), and grab ourselves a share of that big radio-friendly goth metal market." And maybe they don't do a bad job at it, but it's just so much less substantial and original than their earlier stuff. Compare the lyrics of "Enchanted Moonlight" with the vapid lines from the new album :"We dress ourselves in skinny jeans..." "Have you ever been asked to lie, just a little little lie," "1,2,3 I'm begging you please..." Please, indeed.

Good for them finding a wider audience--it probably means the difference for them between making a living in music and having to work day jobs. But I can't give the new stuff a fair shot knowing how far it is beneath what they used to do. Or let's just say "different" since they've made plenty of new fans who prefer the new style.

Plenty of bands eventually "return to their roots" -- I do hope Lyriel becomes one of them someday.

PK