Grave Flowers
Incarcerated Sorrows

The Grave Flowers are yet another Scandinavian band (Swedish, to be precise) attempting to venture into the already well-trodden territories of gothic metal (understood in its less modern variant, still influenced by doom). Although the desire to write a new page in gothic music has not even remotely crossed the minds of this group, the intent to partially distance themselves from what has already been written and experimented by the master bands is tangible. But, as everyone knows, good intentions do not always bear the desired fruit.

"Incarcerated sorrows," released by Firebox Records (a label specialized in doom metal) in 2005, is an album that encapsulates within itself various aspects of dark culture (and not only): in terms of influences, it starts from the ‘80s (there's something in the voice and guitars that even reminds me of the best Dire Straits), passing through My Dying Bride and Anathema, finally arriving at more modern sounds. Across all the tracks, the inspired guitar work stands out (especially regarding the solo parts, omnipresent in the ten tracks on the list) and the seemingly good interpretative abilities of singer and leader Matte Andersson, holder of a voice as seductive as it is monotonous and exhausting.

In the opener "At night", a hymn to the beauty and strength that the night exerts on the human soul, the atmospheres of Depeche Mode from a few years ago seem to peek through, enveloped in the doom essence of the early ‘90s, complete with piano trimmings, while "Lackrosy" is an intriguing oxymoron: melodic and passionate in its vocal lines (pleasant female backing vocals are also heard) and rougher than ever in its guitar framework. The following "Feature of future", is much more canonical and Scandinavian in its perhaps overly repetitive rhythms, and it is truly a shame because some elements like the arpeggios and the more possessed and less romantic voice than usual (despite in the second part the singer adopting the mournful tone of the Silentium of the golden times, namely those of "Altum") were good spurs on which to work to compose something atypical compared to the rest of the compositions, quite homogenous. "Sleep demons sleep" is dark and Burtonian, hinting at progressive parentheses with a clear retro taste; this is surely the most inspired episode.

Among the subsequent tracks, however, there are not many noteworthy passages. It's worth highlighting that "Save me or destroy me" appears elegant thanks to its delicate piano backgrounds and even shows guttural symptoms behind the microphone, but "Erase/Delate" ruins all the magic of the previous track: with its linear and predictable structure and its glam rock flavor, it's a clear nod to the music that tops the Finnish charts (who said The 69 Eyes?). Above all, stands the lugubrious lullaby of "Your memory lives on" (endowed with a long and moving solo), which finally manages to find the exact line of cohesion between the different parts of the band's sound. The last act is entrusted to "My final night", which drags on with the usual rhythms and vocal lines for five minutes of embarrassing boredom. And so the Grave Flowers drop the curtain on their work, leaving behind a bitter sense of incompleteness. However, it is likely that many spectators, struck by persistent sleep yawns, have moved away from the audience long before the end of the show, thus depriving the cheerful (well…) company of the longed-for applause.

Some songs are surprising, but they do not cause strong emotional spasms (the biggest flaw of the band's sound lies precisely in the singer's voice, too monotonous, too static, and set on the same mid-low tones); it is as if the bittersweet melodies of theirs were a knife that, instead of wounding, merely grazes the skin without penetrating it. And the very fact of knowing that in this genre there have been (and still are) groups capable of making the listener's heart bleed (metaphorically speaking) should be significant when it comes to drawing a final judgment. Let's be clear, what Grave Flowers propose is certainly not ugly or unlistenable (thanks also to impeccable technique and production), but it merely performs its task, without provoking particular jolts. But the heart of the average gothic listener needs to be struck, to be constantly overwhelmed by works of ineffable beauty and quality, permeated by a constant tension, which, over long distances, the Swedish band will never be able to guarantee, at least with this record.

For this reason, "Incarcerated sorrows" will remain only a pleasant diversion to enjoy (perhaps) two or three times a year, a brief mediocre interlude among many moments of pure intensity.