Charon
Tearstained

THE REVIEW

"Tearstained" was released in 2000 on the wave of success of fellow countrymen Sentenced and embodies, for better or for worse, the essence of heavy-dark music from chilly Finland.

With this second work, the Finnish combo from Oulu (see Sentenced as well) "veers" heavily towards more accessible sounds compared to their debut, without neglecting the power of the guitar crunch or the tight rhythms, but enriching everything with melancholic harmonies that recall the aforementioned colleagues.
J.P. Leppaluoto delivers an excellent vocal performance with a deep, confident, and convincing voice even in the more explicitly melodic parts, while the axemen Sipila and Hast are no less, skillfully weaving sad guitar textures, brilliant twin solos and powerful heavy-doom style riffs.

Certainly, the peculiar feature of our sound is immediacy, the ability to construct catchy songs by infusing them with fresh and agile refrains, without neglecting the darker and "damned" romantic aspect typical of Finnish acts (see Him or Entwine). Among the ten jewels offered stands the beautiful opener "Worthless" which is sharp, fast, "urgent" in unleashing an impactful chorus and endowed with catchy riffs that are truly well-crafted.
Nostalgically dark is the mid-tempo of the piercing "For seasons rush" while "Christina bleeds" unleashes the band's rock soul, spitting aggression through gritty vocals and breathtaking riffing seasoned with a truly fast'n'furious rhythm section. Truly an excellent anthem.

Standouts include the semi-acoustic ballad "The drift", touching and original, but above all the masterpieces "Sin" and "Your Christ", twins in the romanticism-energy duo. Dominated by well-crafted harmonies in the guitar sound, they reveal "Crimson" (Sentenced) and "Draconian Times" (Paradise Lost) influences in the brilliant choruses, once again without forgetting a remarkable impact that makes them solid, direct, and effective. Ultimately, a good work that will lay the foundations for excellent future albums, such as the epic-dark "Downhearted" which will give the Finnish act well-deserved success (especially at home).

Intended for lovers of late nineties Finnish heavy-dark, "Tearstained" is not recommended, however, for those seeking originality at all costs. Charon do not stray from patterns at all, but what they accomplish is qualitatively impeccable.