Never let it be said that
Tiamat hasn't been one of Sweden's more chameleonic bands. First, they were
death metal; then, they evolved into
symphonic black metal, and after that,
Tiamat embraced
gothic metal and
goth rock. 2008's
Amanethes finds them continuing to move in a goth-oriented direction -- mostly
goth rock, although parts of the 62-minute CD are relevant to
gothic metal. Some of
Tiamat's albums have been uneven; the Swedes' desire to try different things hasn't always made for consistent albums. But
Amanethes is one of their more consistent and focused efforts, although metalheads should be warned that most of the tracks fall outside of
metal.
"Equinox of the Gods," "Via Dolorosa," and
"Raining Dead Angels" have a lot of
metal appeal, but many of the other songs are simply
goth rock instead of
gothic metal -- and from a
goth rock standpoint, gloomy offerings like
"Until the Hellhounds Sleep Again," "Misantroplis," "Lucienne," and
"Circles" have a lot to offer. While
Amanethes isn't for
metal purists, the type of goth diehards who live and breathe
Sisters of Mercy,
Bauhaus, and
the Cruexshadows should have no problem getting into this album; that is, assuming they don't have a problem with the disc's more metal-friendly items. Not all
goth rock enthusiasts care for
gothic metal -- some do, some don't -- and the ideal
Amanethes listener is a
Sisters of Mercy or
Cruexshadows fan who can also get into the occasional male-fronted
gothic metal recording (so many
gothic metal bands have female singers). It also helps to have some appreciation of
Pink Floyd; the ethereal
"Meliae," for example, is unapologetically
Floyd-minded. Again, this CD's
metal appeal is limited, but serious goths will find
Amanethes to be one of
Tiamat's more memorable releases. ~ Alex Henderson