The album cover alone told me what to expect; Gothic influenced Metal with a dramatic/opera styled delivery. These types of albums are difficult to pull off convincingly. Ayin Alpeh I certainly give it a shot, though.
As I said, imagine Gothic Metal with a flair for the dramatic stage. One thing that is immediately noticeable is the heavy piano presence. The way it’s utilized in the music is almost Vaudevillian. The other gigantic elephant in the room is the vocals. The opera styled female vocals are often cartoonish and comical. This would be fine if it was intended, but I don’t think it was. She tries to morph her voice into different characters going from opera (yikes!) to a sort of whispered, creepy delivery at times (like a Goth Minnie Mouse). Musically, as I said, it’s Gothic influenced Metal with piano/string overlays, church organ and a healthy dose of off-Broadway melodrama. Song titles like “Grey Ashes”, “My Bloody Marriage” (parts 1 and 2), “Black Roses” and “Butterfly” ought to help finish out the mental picture.
So, that said, if you dig drama and are up for something different, give it a shot. Coming off at times as sort of a junior Theatres Des Vampires, they put forth a valiant effort. The vocals can be a distraction at times, but I think there’s enough here to warrant at least a cursory listen. Try watching “Interview With A Vampire” first…that might put you in the mood.
so what’s with the Hebrew letters in the band name then?
on Dec 22nd, 2008 at 09:18Remember how King Diamond used to do some pretty silly sounding operatic voices? He could be pretty cringe-inducing, too. Or that Damien Storm character? Ugh.
Ayin Aleph is pretty “out there”, but worth it if you’re into the very avant garde side of goth metal.
on Dec 22nd, 2008 at 11:12