Flowing Tears - Thy Kingdom Gone
Ascendance Records
Gothic Metal
12 songs (48:22)
Release year: 2008
Flowing Tears, Ascendance Records
Reviewed by Khelek

Flowing Tears as a band has come a long way since the days when they were known as Flowing Tears & Withered Flowers. Their music has gone through a lot of change as well, changing their sound from an acoustic and instrumental approach to a much more modern, dark and heavy production. More recently they have changed vocalists and, shortly after the first album with new vocalist Helen Vogt, survived the death of two of the founding members, Christian Zimmer and Bjorn Lorson (RIP). After this tragedy I wasn’t sure what the next album would sound like, or even if there was going to be one at all. I for one have remained a faithful listener to the German gothic metallers through these times, and I have not been disappointed. They have definitely landed on their feet and this album proves it.

This is the second album with vocalist Helen Vogt. She did a great job on Razorbliss, an album that I really enjoyed, and an album saw the band emerging even more from their darker sound, becoming more upbeat but still ominous and very heavy. Definitely darker than Razorbliss, Thy Kingdom Gone has a much deeper atmosphere, and goes back to what Flowing Tears originally stood for; a very dark, depressive gothic sound. However they have kept the heavy guitars and much of the melody of the previous two albums, so it’s really a mix of their best work in my opinion. There is also a heavy use of keyboards, which adds more to the darker atmosphere of this album than the previous one. The first track, Orchidfire, begins with a foreboding piano intro and then quickly turns into a heavy guitar/drum driven song. The next song that really caught my attention was Rain Of A Thousand Years, it reminds me of something that would be found on an older Flowing Tears album, perhaps Jade or even Joy Parade. The next song, Grey, picks up the pace a bit, with heavy guitar riffs that are very catchy. I also really like the acoustic interlude in the middle of the song. The title track was up next with another memorable melody and male vocals this time for a change, which are very well done, sounding a little like something I’d here on a more recent Samael release. Another favorite track of mine is Kismet. Yet again the band creates a very depressive, serene atmosphere with a significant use of keyboards and some interesting drumwork. This is another track that sounds a lot like something from their earlier albums; definitely a classic Flowing Tears track.

There is a lot to take in on this album. I’ve had to give it several listens for it all to sink in. Each song seems to have a life of its own; there is no filler here! One thing I really admire about this band is that they do their own thing. They never end up sounding like anyone else in this somewhat overcrowded genre. This is music that creates a great dark atmosphere while never becoming cliché or boring.

Killing Songs :
Orchidfire, Rain Of A Thousand Years, Thy Kingdom Gone, Kismet
Khelek quoted 88 / 100
Other albums by Flowing Tears that we have reviewed:
Flowing Tears - Razorbliss reviewed by Jack and quoted 85 / 100
Flowing Tears - Serpentine reviewed by Jack and quoted 90 / 100
Flowing Tears - Jade reviewed by Marc and quoted 85 / 100
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