Lake Of Tears
The Neonai

THE REVIEW

Group, as far as I know, virtually unknown to most, these Swedish Lake Of Tears released in 2002 the present "The Neonai." The Swedes have several works under their belt, the first of which were heavily oriented towards a gothic metal with rhythms sometimes similar to melodic death. When I bought this record, I was totally taken aback. I knew the band was heavily influenced by Floydian psychedelia, but I didn't think it could go this far: the gothic here is almost completely gone, moving onto more distinctly psychedelic terrains (also clearly outlined by the vaguely "candy-like" and fairy-tale cover) of a very catchy rock. The result? Nice, it listens well throughout its duration, but it certainly isn’t a great album.

The typically 80s instrumental intro with a gothic stride gives hope, and with the second track "Return Of Ravens," promises are fulfilled. The song has a pressing and solemn pace, thanks to the very rhythmic rhythm section, the atmospheric keyboards (very dark wave and almost "danceable"!), the powerful guitars, and the singer's voice, not excellent but still able to create a certain pathos.

The next "The Shadowshires" leaves you a bit puzzled. The rhythm, the keyboard parts, even the guitars, seem a copy of the previous track! The similarity is such that I prefer to consider these two songs as the continuation of one another. The catchiness remains, the piece captivates you and is, objectively, very engaging, and by the end you've almost forgotten the initial bitter feeling.

"Solitude" is instead a rather misty and tearful ballad. Daniel Brennare's excellent vocal performance is accompanied by a standout rhythmic/melodic section, a lovely autumnal digression on the theme proposed so far.

From here on, these two just-described styles will repeat, alternating throughout the album. Faster, rockier tracks (I won't say gothic because there's little gothic to be heard) will alternate with more reflective, calm, and melancholic ones. The confusing and, to me, unforgivable fact is that the majority of the more lively ones seem to be carbon copies of one another. In short, listen to the drums: always the same "thump thump thump thump," as if it were produced by the cheapest of drum machines. The work on the guitars slightly rises in quality during the choruses, perhaps thanks to some successful solo (the ending of "Can Die No More" for example), as well as the part related to the bass, which by 80s tradition occasionally indulges in good, robust, and rather varied rhythmic lines.

The ballads are perhaps the ones a bit more diversified among them, thanks to female vocal inserts or slightly more biting parts, where all the instruments and the frontman's voice collaborate to slightly raise the pathos and tension.

At the end of the album, you feel as puzzled as at the beginning of the first listen, unsure how to judge it. Objectively, the album isn't terrible: it's catchy, perhaps almost too upbeat for a gothic band. But it's known, great bands have always played on the bewilderment provoked by their products, never the same as one another. It's a pity, though, that Lake Of Tears aren't, and I regret to say this, a great band. Or rather, they don't show themselves to be one in this album, passable but a bit bland in the end.

Let's face it, what they did before (and what will come after) is better, much better.